A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST

A walk througt Monastir always begins with the majectic Ribat whose characteristic silhouette with its crenellated ramparts and watchtower dominate the esplanade. Founded around the year 796, the Ribat, once an impregnable fortress, today opens its doors to visitors who find tranquillity and coolness in the shadow of its walls and in its peaceful halls. In summer, the ancient stone is brought to life by a son et lumière display for the enjoyment of the public.

Inside the Ribat a Museum of Islamic arts, the Ali Bourguiba Museum, has been built housing superb manuscripts in Cufic script, some of which are illuminated, exquisite ancient textiles, glassware, pottery and miniatures from different periods, all relics of a brillant civilisation whose hour of glory was long ago. But the showpiece of the collection is perhaps the Arab astrolabe made in Cordoba in 927.

As you wander through the various rooms to the Ribat, note the extremely interesting collection of engraved steles and tombstones dating back to the XIth and XII th century in the courtyard. On the first floor of the southern wing are two prayer rooms where some people wanted to make a "women's Ribat" which is also worth visiting. As you leave the museum, your attention is caught by a sort of giant warehouse built virtually against the Ribat and whose presence seems incongruous to say the least. These are the studios where the thirteen

episodes of the serial Jesus of Nazareth, and many other well-known films such as Raiderss of the Lost Ark were shot. The exceptional beauty of the site and the incomparable luminosity of the Tunisian sky add to Monastir's success, judging from its populary with the most famous directors of both the silver screen and television. Not far away is the Zaouia de Saïda, a funeral mosque that used to be enclosed in a second Ribat which no longer exists. A third Ribat, called Zaouia of Sidi-Dhouib is also worth a visit.

But the contemporary Bourguiba Mosque, built in 1963, is even more sumptuous. Built in 1963, is even more sumptuous. Built in traditional style, it is a sophisticated building and the decoration in particular is remarkable, making it a beautiful example of traditional art and architecture.
The huge vaulted hall of prayer is supported by eight-six pink marble columns. There is a large dome before the mihrab which is inlaid with golden mosaics and decorated with small onyx columns.
Entrance to the mosque is gained through nineteen carved teak door, the work of craftsmen from Kairouan.

To the west of the explanade, two octagonal pavilions seem to guarding the entrance to the poignant seaside cemetrery dominated by the "Koubba", the dome of Sidi El Mezri, the patron saint of the town. The scattered little white tombs stretching down to the nearby shore lend this peacegul graveyard an unutterable charm tinged with that melancholy which is always aroused by the memory of those who are no longer with us. After croassing a paved courtyard you reach the Bourguiba family mausoleum, a beautiful, a beautiful square building with a golden dome flanked by twin minarets. Built at the same time as the mosque, it is a splendid example of traditional decorative techniques. To the right of the monument, you can see the little marabout of Sidi Bouzid, the dome of which is made of earthenware tubes. To the left, another dome protects the Bourguiba family tombs.