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Story and Photography by Bo Zaunders Editor’s Note: B. Z. visited Tunisia two weeks before an uprising forced President Ben Ali, out of office.
TOZEUR, TAMERZA & SIDI BOU SAID Christmas Eve, 2010. So far, discomfort, and sleep deprivation have characterized our trip to Tunisia. Record-setting snowfalls and freezing temperatures caused flight cancellations throughout much of Europe, and there we were, at Charles de Gaulle airport, hoping against hope for a connecting flight to Tunis. Would we make it, or, since all Paris hotels were fully booked, have to bed down for the night in the ice-cold air terminal? An hour past midnight, after the Tunis flight had been cancelled and rescheduled twice and we had waited in line for five hours, it At 3:45AM Christmas Day, we checked into Hotel Sidi Bou Said, 12 miles from the capital. Though eager to explore Tunisia, all we want to do is to hit the sack. Below stretches the Bay of Tunis, the sky is blue, the sun shines, and things are beginning to look a lot better. Today, before flying south to the Sahara desert town of Tozeur, we visited the National Museum of Carthage, gazing in wonderment at “the young man of Byrsa,” who lived in Carthage in the sixth century BC. Restored by Elisabeth Dynes, a world-renown specialist in hominid reconstruction, Ulysses now has his own wing in the museum. In a glass case lays his skeleton, and in an adjoining Prior to our one-hour flight to the Sahara desert town of Tozeur, we lunched at the hotel, having our first taste of harissa, a hot Tunisian condiment made of crushed dried red peppers, garlic and spices. Jokingly referred to as ”Tunisian ketchup,” it came with bread, green olives, and some of the most delectable tuna I’ve ever eaten. ON THE ROAD TO TAMERZA Half of our trip would be spent in and around Tozeur, a city in the southwestern part of the country, described sometimes as Tunisia’s answer to Morocco’s Marrakech. First stop: Tamerza Palace Hotel, our home away from home for the next two nights.
The Tamerza Palace Hotel proved utterly luxurious and, at the same time, with its massive earth-colored walls blending perfectly with the surroundings, reflective of the rich Berber tradition of the area. The setting of the hotel is spectacular. Large panoramic windows from each room overlook the ruins of Wadi, the old Tamerza settlement, abandoned in 1969 after floods destroyed the mud brick dwellings and forced the inhabitants to evacuate. The hotel lobby looked rather like the outsized hall of some extravagant private home. From an upper level you saw a lounge with a window that looked out over a terrace with a swimming pool. Actually, there were two pools, one large, and a small one for children. Dinner was an elaborate affair with several first courses. I noted an abundance of seafood - shrimp, calamari, sea bass - all very fresh. Sea bass, I was told, is to Tunisia what salmon is to Scandinavia. I was also informed that, in Tunisian cous cous, dates replace almonds. The meal ended with ice cream dotted with dates, followed by tea, ceremoniously poured from an elaborately decorated teapot. This morning we drove to Ong Jemel, the setting George Lucas used for his “Star Wars” movies. On the way, we stopped at Mides, a mountain oasis next to a stunning gorge, Troglodyte dwellings, interspersed with freestanding “moisture vaporators,” greeted us at Ong Jemel. There were also camels with guides, and a number of visitors, eager to go camel riding in the surrounding sand dunes. To one unfamiliar with these desert animals, watching them get up from a prone position was oddly fascinating. ECO-FRIENDLY DAR HI Lunch again, this time in the new Dar Hi Hotel in nearby Nefta. Here the fiery harissa – ubiquitous with every meal - came on a highly distinctive serving plate, the “hand of Fatima.” The hotel is the creation of the French designer Miatali Crasset, a protégé of Philippe Chapelet. It has been described as an eco-retreat, and as a “sand citadel dedicated to well being.” Touring it, I was impressed with the unconventional use of space - each elevated living quarter formed a little house all by itself. The effect is that of a small village and, in keeping with the style of local architecture, it was enclosed within ochre-colored brick walls. At the entrance I was startled to see a collection of shoes, neatly put away on shelves. Not since in Spitzbergen, Norway – a long way from the Sahara desert - had I seen anything quite like it. Back at Tamerza, Roxie took advantage of some of the spa offerings, luxuriating in what was A series of different treatments was suggested for guests staying a few days. As for me, just looking at the mirror-like water of the spa pool, with a perfectly framed view of Wadi in the window behind, had the most calming effect. TOZEUR A city in southwest Tunisia, Tozeur is also an oasis with hundreds of thousands of palm trees. Dates are a big item in this country, and here there’s even a date museum. It’s called Eden Palm, and opened last year. This morning, before checking in at the Palm Beach Hotel, we paid it a short visit – touring the stylish-looking exhibition halls, and enjoying a gourmet treat based on a select few of the 150 kinds of dates for which the area is famous. More food awaited at the Palm Beach Hotel. There, in pleasant surroundings next to a swimming pool, we were introduced to “brik,” a Tunisian specialty, consisting of a triangular thin pastry pocket, deep-fried and containing a whole egg, chopped onion and tuna. Delicious, but as you bit into it, the egg was prone to fall out of the pastry and make a mess. Advice was given on how to avoid such accidents. Like Tarmeza Palace, the Palm Beach is a high-end hotel. Its red and sand-colored facade is distinctive, the lobby lush with greenery, pools and huge pillars in the shape of palm trees. Next on the agenda: Tozeur’s Oasis Festival. I had expected some colorful pageantry with traditional music, involving horse and camel races. Instead, we witnessed a rather muted, At this point we had no anticipation of the political upheaval about to break out, sending shock waves throughout the world, and setting the stage for even greater unrest in Egypt and elswhere. Occasionally we would sense that something was going on, moments at which Tunisians we met seemed strangely preoccupied. But no one said anything. DATES, DATES & DATES Dates, as mentioned, are big business here, and, while still in Tozeur, we went to Horchani, a We also walked around the medina (old town) of Tozeur and its colorful market place, visited a store carrying superior dattes (dates), and lunched at Dar Cherait, a hotel with opulent Ottoman décor and superb food. After a plate of artistically cut fruit came Gigot D’agneau Piqué a Ail, and a bottle of Magon, the domestic red wine of which I’ve become increasingly fond. Incidentally, all wine served in Tunisian restaurants is domestic. BACK IN SIDI BOU SAID Once again we were staying at Hotel Sidi Bou Said. As we explored the village, I was reminded a little of the Greek island of Santorini. The same steep winding walkways and steps down to the sea, whitewashed walls and blue doors - even the same popularity with tourists. Then, on the way to the medina of Tunis, we made a stop at Dar el Jeld, a converted 18th Today we drove to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan about 150 miles south of the capital. Once more we went to the medina, but first paid a visit to Kairouan’s Great Mosque, the oldest in North Africa, and generally regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam - after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Spread over an area of nearly 30,000 square feet, with a huge marble-paved courtyard and a massive square minaret, the mosque was impressive indeed. We learned that construction had begun in the late 600s, and was largely completed in the 9th century. An architectural masterpiece, it is not only the oldest, but also the largest Islamic monument in North Africa. More history. This morning we went to the Bardo Museum, famous for rooms full of Our next visit was to Hammamet, a seaside resort, about 35 miles southeast of Tunis. Hammamet has been called the Tunisian Saint Tropez, and one can understand why. It looked absolutely spotless, from the artfully positioned swimming pools that encircled the Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa Hotel - where we went for lunch - to the nearby clear blue waters of the Mediterranean. Despite this being the last day of December, there were some sunbathers on the beach. On the horizon I sighted what looked suspiciously like an old Phoenician ship. Asked about it, my Tunisian guide smiled and said “Oh, that’s just a tourist attraction.” BONNE ANNÉE! 2010 was about to turn into 2011. Back at Hotel Sidi Bou Said, we all dressed up for a New Years Eve party – all except our travel companion Jon, who, during the confusion at the Paris airport, had lost a bag containing most of his clothing. That notwithstanding Jon managed to look quite presentable as he joined us for the celebration.
All in all, it was a great trip. This is a beautiful country, composed of an educated motivated populace. Surely it will continue to be a fabulous place to visit.
© March 2011 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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was – miraculously - announced that we were ready for takeoff. 
room he stands, looking amazingly alive for someone who has been dead for 2,500 years. 
Tamerza is an ancient Berber town, located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, a short distance from the Algerian border. As we drove there by car from the Tozeur airport, the landscape turned into a flat, stony desert, with few interruptions, save occasional glimpses of distant camels and goats. After an hour or so, we sighted the purple haze of mountains ahead. By the time we had reached them and begun a zigzag climb to the hotel, the sun set in a blast of colors across the wide sky.
popularly known as the “Grand Canyon.” A few tables had been set up, displaying indigenous ware, such as crystalline rock formations known as “sand roses,” and chunks of petrified wood. Roxie, my wife, bought several sharks’ teeth, remnants, presumably, from the age of the dinosaurs, when the Sahara desert was still a sea. 
By now I had learned to tone down the hot chili sauce by adding a touch of olive oil. Incidentally, Tunisian olive oil is superb. With luck I’ll find some back in New York City. 
termed “the world of authentic Hammam treatments.” Indigenous Berber heritage was emphasized. Products used were all natural and originating from local ethnic sources: floral essences of rosemary, lavender, thyme, and rose petal masks. Oils available included Barrouk, calendula honey and vanilla, along with Argan and rose petal oils, and Tfal… the list goes on.
lyrical interpretation of a poem by Abu Kacim Chabbi, Tunisia’s national poet. One didn’t have to be familiar with his work to see that this was a play about people striving for independence – a poignant reminder that, for nearly 3,000 years, this country has been shaped by one civilization after the other: Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, French. Almost all the actors were very young, and many were children. Fires were lit. Teenage girls, all in black, lay down on the sand, subjugated, yet defiant. Much of the action involved the Tunisian flag, spread out large, or carried triumphantly, by hand or from galloping horses, across the desert stage.
date factory. Generally, I can do without factory visits, but this was fascinating: everything immaculately clean, with long rows of women grading and pitting from an endless array of precious fruit. The warehouse was packed with large containers, ready to be sent around the globe. We saw boxes destined for Russia, Greece, and the US, and were told that 10,000 tons of dates are exported from Tunisia each year. 
century Bourgeois residence turned restaurant. Lavishly decorated, it featured a central courtyard and elaborate Moorish furnishings, along with traditional Tunisian food, such as lamb stew, prawn kebabs, and, not least, a great variety of fish. 
enormous colorful mosaics from ancient Roman times as well as from later Arab and Ottoman periods. In mosaics, sometimes covering entire walls, antiquity came to life. There stood Homer’s Odysseus, tied to the mast to avoid the temptations of the sirens; here was Dionysos, throwing pirates overboard and turning them into dolphins; and there was Venus, crowned – surprisingly – by two centaur women. Depictions of ships and hunting scenes abounded. So did portrayals of animals, like two gigantic wrestling bears. Particularly moving, I thought, was a small tomb mosaic from the 5
And a celebration it was. Wine flowed, an orchestra played what sounded like high-decibel Arabic pop music, and a belly dancer began twisting and twirling from table to table. As the magic hour approached, many of the guests turned increasingly animated standing up, clapping and singing along with the music. Finally, at the stroke of twelve, everyone hugged and kissed and shouted, Bonne Année! Bonne Année!