Exploring Through The Labyrinth
Background
The Medina of Tunis is the Medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. A medina quarter is a distinct historical city section found in a number of North African cities. The word "medina" itself simply means "city" or "town" in modern-day Arabic.
Also known as 'Old Town of Tunis' located in a fertile plain region of north-eastern Tunisia, and a few kilometres from the sea, the Medina of Tunis is one of the first Arab-Muslim towns of the Maghreb (698 A.D.). Capital of several universally influential dynasties, it represents a human settlement that bears witness to the interaction between architecture, urbanism and the effects of socio-cultural and economic changes of earlier cultures. With its souqs, its urban fabric, its residential quarters, monuments and gates, this ensemble constitutes a prototype among the best conserved in the Islamic world.