Sights of Monastir (Tunisia), what to see and what to do

There are not too many historical and cultural attractions in Monastir. You can watch all of them in one day. They are concentrated in the center of Monastir, and you can get around them all on foot, just arm yourself with a map.

When all the sights of Monastir have been studied in detail, you can go on excursions. The hotel and travel agencies on the street can offer you the following most popular excursions:

• Inspection of the ruins of Carthage, a visit to Sidi Bou Said and the capital – Tunis.
• A trip to the Sahara.
• A boat trip on a yacht to the island of Kuriat.

Medina

An obligatory place to visit any Tunisian city will certainly be the old city center - the Medina. The Medina of Monastir is no exception. However, unlike Medina, for example, Hammamet and Sousse, of the attractions known to us here is only The Mosque of Habib Bourguiba. Otherwise, to wander through the narrow, tangled streets with white and blue houses, feeling the unforgettable atmosphere of an Arab country, is definitely worth it. In addition, countless bazaars, markets, shops and more modern shops will offer goods for every taste and budget: carpets, clay, leather, gold and silver products, coinage, clothing and shoes...

The Medina is surrounded by a high crenellated wall, almost completely restored in the XVII-XVIII centuries, and you can get inside through one of the five surviving gates (originally there were about twelve of them), as well as through the passages formed in the wall.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

🚶 How to get there: the center of Monastir, south of the Sidi el Mezeri cemetery. Medina of Monastir on the map

Great Mosque

The mosque was erected in the IX century. under the rule of the Arab dynasty of the Aghlabids. From the outside, the building looks very ascetic, without frills. There is a high square-shaped minaret, there is no dome at all. Inside there is a courtyard and a large prayer hall, in which there are three naves separated by a row of columns.

The mosque has been rebuilt more than once. In the XI century. The building was expanded, a mihrab was added (a niche facing which Muslims stand during prayer), having a semi-cylindrical shape and decorated with various ornaments. In the period from XIII to XV centuries. under the Hafsids (Arab dynasty), a minaret was added. Later, in the XVIII century, the building was supplemented with arches and columns, some of which have been preserved since the time of the ancient city of Ruspin and harmoniously fit into the architectural ensemble. Unfortunately, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the Great Mosque.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: entrance is for Muslims only, free of charge.

🕐 Working hours: 8.00-14.00, day off - Monday (according to other information - Friday)

🚶 How to get there: east of the Medina, along the coast along La Falaise Street, south of Ribat. The Great Mosque of Monastir on the map

Ribat Fortress (Ribat) or Ribat Hartema

One of the brightest sights of Monastir is the Ribat fortress, which served as a powerful defensive fortification against enemy attacks from the sea. It is considered the largest and oldest fortress in the countries of North Africa. The Ribat was erected in the VIII century (in 796 by General Khartem ibn Ayun) and was initially small, later some of its parts were completed and rebuilt. For example: in the southwest, the fortress was expanded in the IX century. (under the Aghlabites), in the northeast - in the XI century. (under the Fatimids), by the XVI century. (under the Hafsites) bastions were added at the corners, by the XIX century. the total area of the Ribat was already about 4200 sq.m. The fortress has three levels with many stairs and transitions: on the first floor there were rooms of warriors and a prayer room, overlooking a spacious courtyard, on the second floor there were also rooms. From the height of the third level, where you can climb the steep spiral staircase of the Nador Tower, you have a great view of the city and the coast.

Ribat was considered, and is considered to this day, a very important religious shrine, because every soldier who served in it was granted eternal bliss after his death, so serving here was considered a true reward. Those who did not have the chance to serve in the Ribat dreamed of being buried at its walls. This is why the Sidi el Mezeri cemetery is located behind the northern wall of the fortress.

Among other things, in the prayer room at the Ribat, which served as a mosque, there is a Museum of Islamic Art, where items related to ancient Islamic historical monuments are presented: coins, chronicles, gold, ceramics, fabrics, wood and bone carvings, astrolabe and so on.

Historical films were shot in the fortress more than once, for example: "Angelica and the Sultan", "Jesus of Nazareth", one of the parts of "Indiana Jones", etc.

Entrance fee / tickets price: 7 dinars (Tunisian currency, exchange rate), photo – 1 dinar. The purchased ticket to the Museum of Islam is also valid in Ribat.

🕐Working hours: from May to September – 8.00-19.00, from October to April – 9.00-17.30, Monday is a day off.

🚶 How to get there: east of the Medina, along the coast along La Falaise Street, north of the Great Mosque. Ribat Fortress on the map

The Museum of Islamic Arts

The Museum of Islam, operating since August 5, 1958, is located in the building of the former mosque in the southern part of Ribat. The exhibition halls of the museum feature wood carvings from the Grand Mosque of Kairouan, ancient chronicles and manuscripts, fabrics, stone and bone carvings, jewelry, ancient coins, ceramics, Persian miniatures, paintings, leather goods, etc. A special pride of the exposition is the astrolabe from Cordoba 927 BC.

Website in English http://www.musee-ribat-monastir.com

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: 3 dinars, photo – 1 dinar. The purchased ticket to Ribat is valid for the Museum of Islam.

🕐Working hours: from May to September – 8.00-19.00, from October to April – 9.00-17.30, Monday is a day off.

🚶 How to get there: east of the Medina, along the coast along La Falaise Street, north of the Great Mosque, the entrance to the museum is on the west side of the Ribat. Museum of Islamic Art on the map

Mortyrs Memorial

Many people single out this memorial as a separate landmark, however, it is part of the Sidi el Mezri cemetery located nearby. It consists of two identical open octagons located close to each other. Large domes are supported by columns with arched ceilings. These structures do not represent historical value, and are installed, rather, as a memory of those buried in the cemetery.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

🚶 How to get there: the central square of Monastir. Mortar Memorial on the map

Cemetery Sidi el Mezri

This huge Muslim cemetery, part of the territory of which is occupied by the mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba (1963), is an important religious object among Muslims, because being buried here is considered a sacred gift to the deceased, who will surely go to heaven. All the tombstones are whitewashed in white and face towards Mecca.

The name of the cemetery came from the XII century. on behalf of Imam Sidi el-Mezri. On the right side of the alley leading to the Mausoleum is his grave or kubba (Coubba or Koubba), and is a small square-shaped monument covered with a dome. Such graves were built in honor of an honored citizen or a particularly revered saint, whom the mentioned Imam el Mezri was during his lifetime. This place is very famous as a place of healing seriously ill children, people come to a small attached mosque to pray for their speedy recovery.

There is an inscription on the entrance gate of the cemetery indicating that the name of the city of Monastir is associated with the name of Princess Mona, who lived in the XII century.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

🚶 How to get there: near the pier, near Ribat and Medina. Sidi el Mezri Cemetery on the map

Bourguiba Mausoleum

It is located on the territory of the ancient Muslim cemetery Sidi el Mezri in the western part. The road to the mausoleum runs along a wide alley. The entrance to the main building is made by two tall minarets with gilded domes, each 25 m high, which are visible from afar. The mausoleum itself is a very beautiful building with a central golden one and two green domes located on both sides of it. There is another smaller green dome behind the golden dome. The building is decorated with ceramics, stone carvings and marble.

The mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba was erected in 1963 and was intended as a tomb for Bourguiba himself and his family members. His parents, first wife and other close relatives are buried here, and therefore the mausoleum was completed twice in 1978 and 1980. The museum exposition, which is open to visitors, contains documents, photographs and personal belongings of H. Bourguiba.

A little bit about the person. Habib Bourguiba was born on 08/03/1903 in Monastir. He was a well-known and revered politician not only in his homeland, but also abroad, and actively advocated the freedom of the Tunisian people from French colonization. From 1957 to 1987 he became the first president of the free Republic of Tunisia. During the reign of H. Bourguiba, both social and economic reforms were carried out. Perhaps the most famous are the expansion of women's rights, the increase in the level of education, the prohibition of polygamy and the legislative consolidation of the divorce procedure, the expansion of private property. After the so-called "Jasmine Revolution" that took place in 1987, H. Bourguiba was removed from power. In April 2000, he died at the age of 96, his body rests in a sarcophagus at the mausoleum.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: free.

🕐 Working hours: Monday to Thursday – 14.00-16.30, Friday to Sunday – 9.00-16.30.

🚶 How to get there: in the west of the Sidi el Mezri cemetery. Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba on the map

Bourguiba mosque

Another of the famous attractions associated with the first president of the country. Like the Mausoleum, it was built in 1963. It is very similar in architecture to the Hammoud Pasha mosque in Tunis - a high minaret, one central large dome and four small, a number of open galleries around the perimeter of the building. The prayer room is huge and can accommodate up to a thousand worshippers. Inside the room there are many columns that serve as a support for the central dome. The mihrab (niche to which the faces of the worshippers are facing) is decorated with gold ornaments and mosaics.

It is a functioning mosque, and therefore non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the prayer hall.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: free, only for Muslims.

🕐 Working hours: daily.

🚶 How to get there: Medina, entrance from Independence Street. Habib Bourguiba Mosque on the map

Museum of Traditional costumes

As the name suggests, this museum presents traditional Arab men's and women's clothing, individual wardrobe items, jewelry. The collection presents clothing from the XIX to XX centuries in all its diversity and allows you to trace how the appearance and culture of Tunisians have changed over the century. There is also a collection of chic and beautiful wedding dresses. The rich decoration of dresses with gold and silver threads, hand embroidery, including precious stones, and the finest silk are objects of luxury rather than everyday life. The museum is definitely worth a visit.

💵Entrance fee / tickets price: 10 dinars.

🕐Working hours: from May to September – 9.00-13.00 and 15.00-19.00, from October to April – 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00, Monday is a day off.

🚶 How to get there: Medina, Independence Street, opposite Bourguiba Mosque. Museum of Traditional Costume on the map