berber boy of the sahara ....

berber boy of the sahara ...., a photo by ana_lee_smith on Flickr.

The indigenous Berbers, conquered by the invading Arabs of the 7th Century, make up only 1% of Tunisia's population today ... though 50% or more of Tunisians likely have ancient Berber ancestors. Traditionally a nomadic tribe, their urge to roam is curtailed by Tunisia's current laws of compulsory education for their children & have mostly settled in the desert regions of the south, travelling only outside the school year. Sad to say, their native language, 'Tamazight', never recognized as an official language of the country & not taught in the schools, is dying out.

The boy, Musbah, was carrying a small desert fox, hoping for a dinar from me for a chance to have my photo taken holding the fox. He got his dinar .. but for a photograph of him, not the fox.   *~*

tunisian sunrise .....

tunisian sunrise ....., a photo by ana_lee_smith on Flickr.

from the beach at Paradis Palace Hotel, Hammamet, Tunisia.

Tunisia has 1300 kilometres ( 819 m) of coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. Hammamet was the first tourism destination of Tunisia. Located on the south-east of the northern peninsular of Cap Bon, on the Gulf of Hammamet, its golden beaches & temperate climate make it a popular destination for those seeking fun-in-the-sun all-inclusive style vacations. However, the tourism economy has suffered greatly since the Tunisian revolution of Jan 2011 that triggered Arab Spring across north africa & the middle east. Even slashed prices can't tempt the overly cautious tourist back, it seems. Too bad. Our 3 week trip, November 2012,  to this culturally rich & geographically diverse country, which started in Hammamet,  was an all time bargain with nary a single moment of not feeling safe.