Monastir
From CruisersWiki
Monastir (Port of Entry)
GPS: 35°46.6′N, 10°50.2′E
BackgroundMonastir 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.
Radio Nets
Also see Cruiser's Nets
Submit details of local radio Nets.
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.
Marinas & Yacht Clubs
Routes/Passages To/From
Popular passages/routes, timing, etc.
Offshore Islands
List Islands
Tourism & things to do ashore
In 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 great Phoenician "great cities," is a few km N of Monastir. 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.
 Outside |
 From Inside |
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 & DouzNW 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.
 The Chott El Jerid |
 The Grand Mosque of Kairouan |
 Bir Barouta and the Camel |
Fuel, Water, & Electricity
- Fuel - There is fuel dock in the marina
- Water - On each berth of the marina
- Electricity - On each berth of the marina
Laundry
There is a laundry within the marina complex. It opens at 9:00 AM
Grocery Stores
- There is a small supermarket (supermarche) within the marina compound.
- Fabulous local food at the Medina
Eateries
- Good food at at the Hanibal restaurant
Motorbike & Car Rentals
Make arrangements at the marina office (Capitanerie).
Marine Stores & Facilities
N/A.
Repairs
There is a a small yard associated with the marina. They have a 35 ton travel-lift for haul-outs and do most regular repairs.
Transportation
- Louages - these are mini-vans with a regular route like a bus, but unlike a bus have no fixed timetable.
- Train
- Habib BourguibaI International airport nearby with regular flights to France and other European destinations
References & Publications
See Tunisia.
Cruiser's Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forum Discussions
List links to discussion threads on the Cruiser Log Forum
External Links
Personal Notes
Personal experiences?
Last Visited & Details Checked (and updated here)
Date of member's visit to this Port/Stop & this page's details validated:
- May 2001 --Istioploos
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| | HOMEPAGE | Wiki Contents | Mediterranean | Tunisia | Monastir | |
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