The other day we visited the old medina in Hammamet.

 

Today the medina is just a lot of small shops, the fort and restaurants. As you can see, were we in the fort, which gives a fantastic view over the city, the sea and the medina. In Hammamet the fort is placed on the left side, because this originally gave the best view for potential enemies, both if they attacked from the sea or from the fields. When the medina was built the population only lived inside the medina and there were only fields outside the medina.

 

Today there are a lot of entrances in the medina, but originally there were only one, to make it easier to keep an eye on the people, who went in and out of the medina. The structure of the medina locates the houses in circles (opposite the western culture, were they build square temples etc.). There are four circles, which were used to residential, and in the middle of the medina there is a mosque, for everyone to use.  In the outer circle the poorest people lived, the population with fields and animals. This way they lived next to their animals, which weren’t allowed further into the medina.  The next circle was for the families, who work with bad-smelling industrial work. Then the middleclass, the people who produced and sold clothes and shoes.  In the inner circle and closest to the mosque the richest people lived, which is the population who lived by producing perfume and gold.

 

All medinas are built with the same structure. The only variation is the size of the medina, and the fort, reliant of the size of the population. Furthermore the fort can be placed in both the right and the left side depending on what gave the best view. 

 

Inside the fort of Hammamet a man is buried who the population considered as a holy man because he devoted his life to protect the medina of Hammamet. 

 

The fort also has pictures and boards, explaining about the population’s original clothes, their fields and orchards, knights of Malta, a map over the medina etc. that gives an insight in the population’s history and way of living. It is a very good experience and gives an understanding for he culture of Tunisia.

 

 The fort itself is not a long visit, but the view and the historical stories are worth it. Furthermore is the entre only 7 DT, which is about 3.66 USD.