Africa Morocco:
Agadir
Agadir,
one of Morocco's most popular resorts, has one of
the few safe, sandy beaches on this otherwise treacherous
coast, and the beach front is the favourite place
for an evening stroll. From it the Vallee des Oiseaux,
a park with aviaries and a miniature train, leads
into town. Agadir is an entirely modern town as it
was rebuilt on fresh ground after an earthquake in
1960 destroyed everything except the gate of the Old
Kasbah. The Kasbah's walls were rebuilt and their
hilltop site offers good views of the new city, which
is alive with the customary features of Maghrebi life,
including cafes, a souk and show-shine boys. The Musee
Municipal Bert Flint, under to soccer stadium, displays
folk costumes and jewellery.
Morocco:
Tangier
Overlooking
the Straits of Gibraltar, the ancient port of Tangier
was founded by the Berbers before 1000 BC, and it
is the oldest continually inhabited city in Morocco.
Spread over the foothills of the Rif mountains, it
is a city vibrant with Eastern colour. The nucleus
is the vast, labyrinthine Medina, the market quarter,
which pulsates with noise and vitality. From their
workshops in back alleys, craftsmen make traditional
goods for busy shops and stalls in the crowded streets.
Yet behind wrought-iron railings the visitor will
see cool fountains, mosques and tranquil courts decorated
with mosaics. Despite its unification with Morocco
in 1956, Tangier remains a rich melting pot of cultures
and religions, where the spires of Christian churches
contrast interestingly with the minarets of Muslim
mosques.
Tunisia:
Tunis
One
of the Mediterranean's best-kept secrets, the old,
white, hill town of Tunis dates back to the 7th century
Arab conquest. During the French colonial period of
1881 to 1956, a rational grid of streets was added
to the snaking alleyways of the old Medina, and the
city is now the thriving political and economic capital
of Tunisia. Avenue Habib Bourguiba offers a leisurely
stroll, where pavement cafes compete for business
and shade is provided by a sculptural avenue of ficus
trees. In the Medina, however, all is frantic activity;
the sounds of metalworkers, perfumers, hat-makers
in their narrow booths and salesmen in the carpet
bazaars are punctured form time to time by the cry
of the muezzin as he calls the faithful to prayer.
Libya:
Tripoli
Though
Libya's government offices moved to the new city of
Sirte in 1998, Tripoli, the political centre for four
centuries, is still the economic capital and heart
of the country. It looks out over a large, sheltered
harbour and has a medieval medina (old town). Within
it are the Roman arch of Marcus Aurelius built in
the 2nd century AD, the Gurgi Mosque, founded in 1833,
with a beautiful, titled prayer hall, the Karamanli
House Museum illustrating 19th and 20th century upper-bourgeois
life, and the covered souk, which is best visited
mid-morning or just before dusk. The Jamahiriya Museum
has a breath-taking collection of archaeological treasures.
The ruins of Roman Sabratha are about an hour's drive
form Tripoli.
Egypt:
Alexander
Founded
by Alexander the great in 331 BC, for nearly a millennium
this great seaport was a centre of learning and commerce
second only to Rome . It was home to the world's greatest
library and the fabulous Pharos, a towering lighthouse
counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, held court here,
where she was romanced by Marc Antony. Sadly, Classical
Alexandria is long buried, but it has provided the
foundations for a modern city where 19th century Greek
and Italian influences still echo in some fine architecture
and in the names attached to countless old-world cafes
and patisseries. |
