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Written by Gillian
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Head down the A1 from Tunis and after about 168 miles (270km) the industrial chimneys will herald your arrival at Sfax. Not the most auspicious greeting from Tunisia’s second largest city, but unfortunately true. The city is known for its processing of phosphates, but look beyond the industrial evidence and you will reach the pleasant city centre.
 The medina is still enshrined in the impressive city walls and comprise of a maze of industrial workshops making all sorts of products from carpets to baskets. It is an excellent place to buy loose spices as souvenirs. You can find the main entrance by following your nose, for right by the gates is the place to buy the freshest bread, still warm from the oven!
Inside the walls the street to the left will take you to the Great Mosque, but if you follow the thoroughfare around to the right you will discover the excellent Museum of Popular Arts and Crafts. The best part is the house it is situated in, which is built around a central courtyard. It is three storeys high and dates back over 400 years. The ground floor rooms show domestic life as it would have been at that time. Cooking, bathing, dressing and entertaining are all depicted and have excellent plaques and diagrams with explanations of the various activities. Some of the skills are still in use today, particularly the distilling of flower water, and making Harysa, the fiery pepper sauce which is often served as a condiment. Carry on upstairs to see the wonderful examples of calligraphy and highly decorative scripts, mostly from the Koran. There are also several paintings on glass, an art which is common in Sfax.
Further on, in the centre of the town on the Place de la Republique you will discover the ornate City Hall, complete with a clock. This houses a small archaeological museum, which is always of interest in this country so rich in ancient relics. |
