Medina of Bizerte, Medina quarter in Bizerte, Tunisia
The Medina of Bizerte is the old quarter of the port city of Bizerte, in northern Tunisia, situated north of Avenue Bourguiba. Its streets are narrow and winding, lined with stone and plaster buildings, small shops, market stalls, and mosques, including the Great Mosque with its octagonal minaret.
Bizerte has been a port town for centuries, and the old quarter reflects this long past through its aged stonework and streets that grew without a formal plan. The walls that once protected the neighborhood were removed during the period of French control over Tunisia.
Many of the lanes in the medina are named after the crafts practiced there, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, or weavers. Visitors can watch artisans at work in open stalls, shaping metal or carving wood in the same way their predecessors did.
The medina is best explored on foot, as the lanes are too narrow for vehicles and the layout feels like a maze. It is worth giving yourself enough time to wander, since getting briefly turned around is part of how the place reveals itself.
Unlike other old towns in Tunisia that have been heavily restored, this medina has changed little and still looks much as it did generations ago. Just beside it, the Vieux Port is still a working fishing harbor where boats come in each morning with their catch.
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