Monastir

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Latest revision as of 08:13, 15 November 2018

WorldMediterraneanTunisiaMonastir
Monastir
Port of Entry
35°46.6′N, 10°50.2′E Chart icon.png
Tunisia MonastirS.jpg
Magnify-clip.png
Satellite Image of Monastir
View of Monastir

Monastir is a city with a population of 41,400. It is located in the central shore of the country, the Sahel. The city was founded on the ruins of the Punic-Roman city of Ruspina. The Byzantines fortified it, in the late 7th century.

In addition to the marina, Monastir is dominated by the Ribat, an Arab castle built in the 8th century, and the mausoleum of the first Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba was born here.

Monastir is good and safe place to leave your yacht and tour the interior.

Charts

See Tunisia.

Weather

See Tunisia.

Passages

See Aegean to West Mediterranean Passages.

Communication

Add here VHF channel for coastguard, harbor masters. etc.

Also see World Cruiser's Nets

Navigation

Warning: While the approaches to Monastir are straightforward there can be many floating tuna nets which are hard to see especially in the dark. Approach slowly and with care.

2014/05 There is a big fish farm approximately 5.4 Nm ENE of Monastir

Entrance

Monastir is a port of entry to Tunisia. But, like all Tunisian ports, you must check-in even if you have already been cleared into the Tunisia.

For details about clearing see Tunisia.

Berthing

Go to the marina.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Yacht Repairs and Services

Marine Stores

  • There is a small chandlery Monastir Marina:
    Monastir Marine Services / Fethi Bergaoui - Cap Marina , Monastir 5000 - Cell. +216 22 230 658, Tel./Fax +216 73 467 099 - Email

Sails and canvas

  • SO Sails, the marketing brand of Seamtech Industry, is one of the best sail maker in the mediterranean sea. They are based here (between Monastir and Sousse) and they make about 250 sails per month using the latest technologies. Contact Kamel Abid (tel.: +216 29 533 899) at SO sails or send an Email directly to Seamtech Industry for more information.
Comment by svdelight: Antoine Martineau of SO Sails denies any affiliation with Seamtech-Industry which would entail responsibility. Seamtech-Industry agreed to make me a set of sails in May, 2017. When I went to inspect them, I pointed out defects in the main and staysail. Jean Luc Baudhuin refused to let me inspect the yankee unless I paid them in full. I refused to throw good money after bad, so I am out $2,000.

Repairs/Yards

There is a a small yard associated with the marina. They have a 30 ton travel-lift for haul-outs and do most regular repairs.

Contact: M. Mohamed MRAD
Foreman: Amor
Cell. +216 97.775422
Tel. +216 73 467451
Fax +216 73.468109
Email -- s/v Seatern 01:57, 4 October 2013 (BST)

Fuel, Water, & Electricity

Fuel
There is fuel dock in the marina, but apparently the fuel is not of good quality and may break your motor. Local foreign boat owners get their fuel from the gas station downtown.
Water
On each berth of the marina
Electricity
On each berth of the marina

Things to do Ashore

Tourism

In Monastir
The Ribat of Monastir

In Monastir, a visit to the Ribat of Harthena, the castle that dominates the waterfront, is must. It was built on the 8th century by the Arabs who used it as a base to harass the Christians in the North and defend themselves from the hostile Berbers of the interior. It is an amazing structure, almost out of an Arabian Nights picture book. Inside there is nice little museum. We wandered around the tower and ramparts and the courtyards. Here one can imagine the Barbary Pirates celebrating their most recent captures. Wandering around the Medina (walled city) is fun. The buildings are fairly new and nondescript but the town is nevertheless an attractive bustling place. There are many stores catering to tourists, selling very attractive pottery, glass, leather, and other goods. The place does remind one superficially of Turkey. This impression is re-enforced by the hustling shop proprietors who relentlessly insist that you enter their store.

Sousse

The city of Sousse, one of the three Phoenician "great cities," is a few km N of Monastir. The city is very easy to reach with the regular train. Worth seeing there are: the Ribat, the Grand Mosque, the Medina, and most important the Archaeological Museum with its fabulous late Roman and early Christian mosaics.

Inside the Ribat of Sousse
The Rape of Ganymede Mosaic,
Sousse Museum
El Jem

Further away from Monastir (you will need a car) are many places to visit. El Jem is one of the Roman treasures in Tunisia. It is an almost intact Roman amphitheater the third largest in the Roman Empire, slightly smaller than the Roman Colosseum, but much, much better preserved. It is nothing short of amazing in its sheer size and state of preservation. It looks more like a movie set than a ruin. Within some walking distance from the amphitheater the museum has some very nice late Roman mosaics.

The El Jem Amphitheater
Outside
From Inside


Medenine
The ksour in Medenine

South of the island of Djerba (which you can visit either by boat or by car) you enter the region where the original Star Wars movie was shot. Here is the village of Medenine which used to be an architectural wonder. It had a series of ksour (mud buildings) some up to six stories high. Alas in the 1960s a misguided effort of modernization brought the ever voracious bulldozers which destroyed the ksour save but a few.

Matmata & Douz

NW of Medenine is Matmata. Here are the famous, from the Star Wars, underground troglodyte houses.

Going N from Matmata take the road going W to Douz, a town within the Sahara Desert, which is a favorite place in Tunisia. Approaching Douz the scenery changes completely to sand dunes consisting of extraordinarily fine sand. It is very impressive. Douz is in the center of an oasis, a Palmery, a thick forest of over 400,000 palm trees. It is shaded and cool. Within the forest, but outside the town, there are a number of luxury hotels. It is possible here to get into a camel caravan that overnights in the desert.

The Entrance to a Troglodyte House
Sahara Desert near Douz
The Palmery Oasis of Douz
Chott El Jerid & Kairouan

From Douz, on the way back to Monastir, drive 100 km through the sand desert with, very sparse vegetation which later gives way to the most desolate salt mud, a perfectly flat and lifeless landscape, the Chott El Jerid. You could be in another planet!

Stop at the Tunisian holiest city and the reputed 4th holiest city of the whole Moslem world, Kairouan, (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its Grand Mosque and the holy spring, the Bir Barouta, where holy water (costs 1 TD to drink) is pumped by a camel.

Warning: It is easy to get lost in Kairouan and you will be most certainly hustled by motorbike riding boys and holy men who will try to lure you in acarpet selling establishment.

Warning: There are multiple Salafist living in Kairouan. Be careful.

The Chott El Jerid
The Grand Mosque of Kairouan
Bir Barouta and the Camel

Grocery & Supply Stores

  • Small supermarket (supermarche) within the marina compound. This supermarket has no fresh vegetables.
  • Bustling fresh food market in town, a couple of blocks behind the fort.
  • Supermarket and multiple shops downtown

Eateries

  • Good food at at the Hanibal restaurant
  • Multiple restaurants in the marina and downtown

Internet/WiFi

  • Cheap 4G internet is available from Orange and Tunisia Telecom

Laundry

  • There is a laundry within the marina complex. It opens at 9:00 AM

Motorbike & Car Rentals

Make arrangements at the marina office (Capitanerie).

Garbage Disposal

There are bins around the marina.

Transportation

  • Louages - these are mini-vans with a regular route like a bus, but unlike a bus have no fixed timetable.
  • Excellent Train service for Sousse and Mahdia
  • Habib Bourguiba International airport nearby with regular flights to France and other European destinations

Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links

References

See Tunisia.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

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Date of member's last visit to Monastir and this page's details validated:


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Names: Lighthouse, Istioploos, Rr7


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