Tradition goes hand in hand with progress

When Tunisia became independent, a lot of investment was put into making Monastir a holiday resort equipped with every facility. A town of contrasts, Monastir is a microcosm of Tunisia itself, a country with an ancient civilisation living side by side with progressive modernism, in perfect harmony. Major restoration works have been carried out. The old Chraga quarter has been entirely renovated and there is a new thoroughfare lined with pavement cafés and typical restaurants

where you can sit and sip mint tea or sample the delicacies of Tunisian cooking. Today, this thriving quarter is the heart of city life.

With the exceptional advantages of Monastir's favourable geographical location, its climate, its archeological sites and monuments, no effort has been spared to make it into a superb seaside resort with luxurious hotel complexes dotted along the coast at he Dkhila, Skanès and in Monastri itself. It is served by the Habib Bourguiba International Airport, a new marina, the international conference centre, an excellent road network, an underground train service connecting Monastir to Sousse and soon to Mahdia, beautiful wide avenues surrounded by extensive parks as well ass an impressive university.

The town is clean and tidy. Palm trees lend an exotic note to the vast esplanade on which the Ribat and the mosques seem to have landed as if borned on the winds from the sea. But modernization has not been allowed to destroy our ancestral heritage. The people of Monastir have taken great care to restore the ancient monuments which abound in the region.