Tunisia: Oriental carpets drying in the sun on the whitewashed walls 0f the Hammamet medina

Hammamet (from the Arabic al-hammamat, 'the baths') has been known since Roman times for the healing property of its waters. Roman ruins still survive at the nearby sites of Siagum and Pupput, but Hammamet in its present form dates from the mid-15th century, when the old city, known as the medina, and the suq, or main bazaar, were built.

Mediaeval Hammamet was prepared for defence – the Spaniards fortified the kasbah in the 16th century – but in fact the history of the town has been pleasantly peaceful. There are no records of invaders troubling the small fishing settlement, which acquired a reputation for religious learning through the number and proficiency of its murabitin, or saints and holy men.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia