Tunis, Tunisia | Incorporation of Manouba City and Bardo Museum into its Tourist and Cultural Circuit

Tunis, sprawling North African city and capital of Tunisia, located along a lake with the same name and just inland's from a huge Mediterranean Gulf, the third - largest centre in the Maghreb region after Casablanca and Algiers, boasting a rich cultural and historical heritage highlighted by its Medina, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, great museums and archaeological sites will incorporate Manouba city and the iconic Bardo Museum, into its tourist and cultural circuit offering easy access via minibuses to key sites like Denden, the Kobbet Ennhas Palace and the Rose Palace.

This initiative was announced at a launch ceremony for a national advertising campaign aimed at European tourism markets, undoubtedly a notable proposal which increases and enriches the offer of the Tunisian incoming sector with  a very innovative product addding to its programmed tours very relevant attractions.

With this strategic move the circuit will integrate the nine delegations of the Manouba governorate and and apart the mentioned city of Manouba and the renowned Bardo Museum also sites of enormous cultural relevance like the military museum of the Palace of the Roses and the famed Kobbet Ennhass Palace built by Mohamed Errachid Bey in 1756 and reorganized by Hammouda Pacha Bey in the late 19th century during the period of the Ottoman Empire.

 The attractiveness of the circuit is a great extension of new discoveries for the tourists with the opportunity to visit new sites starting from Sidi Ghrib, a famous archaeological site about 40 kilometres southwest of Carthage near the town of Borj El Amri to Oued Ellil strategic crossroads part of the Manouba plain and once a rich agricultural area via Chouigi, the circuit, also geared towards local tourism, takes in the 17 heritage and ecological sites of Manouba Governorate.

One of the highlights of this incorporation is Manouba is a vibrant city capital of the governorate of the same name located just 10 kilometres west of Tunis, nestled on the banks of the Medjerda River surrounded by picturesque hills, a centre offers a unique blend of modern amenities and historical charm boasting one of the most important universities of the country.

The city dates back ancient times and has been influenced by various civilizations during its long history, including Arab, Byzantine, French and Roman, and its cultural diversity is reflected in its architecture and landmarks.

One of the most famous attractions in undoubtedly the impressive Manouba Aqueduct, an ancient Roman structure that once supplied water to the iconic Carthage. This centre also boasts a stunning natural beauty with suggestive heights offering breathtaking views from their summits, ideal destination for many enthusiast hiikers and photographers and  a futrther highlight is the stunning Jebel Ressas, a mountain range which offers breathtaking panoramic views over Manouba and beyond.

The iconic Bardo National Museum also known as Bardo Palace is the other great incorporation in the circuit, located in the suburbs of Le Bardo part of the city of Tunis, is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region and the second museum of the African continent after the Egyptian museum ofr Cairo by richness of its collections.

The museum housed in an old Beylic palace dating back to the 19th century is a jewel of Tunisan heritage and derives its reputation from its countless pieces coming from excavations undertaken in the country since the XIX Century, home to one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world outside the Italian capital and also displaying the history of Tunisia from prehistoric times to the present day.

For the Tunisian Minister of Tourism, Sofiane Tekaya, leading the department will integrate the tourism circuit of the province of Manouba into that of the city of Tunis, mobilizing all logistical resources to raise awareness among travel agencies and all actors in the sector highlighted the importance of continuing to promote the attractions of the region, its historical monuments and also villages with artesany traditions like Denden.

The Governor of Manouba, Mahmoud Chouaïb, stressed that the first stage of the implementation of this project will begin this April. The integration of other components of the Manouba tourist circuit into the network tours of the Tunisan capital will be the subject of the second phase of this project.

This new project including Manouba city, the sites of its governorate and the Bardo Museum into the tourist circuit of Tunis is the execution of which has been suspended for several years, has been highly anticipated by the inhabitants of the region, given the tangible and intangible heritage and cultural potential of the region, which includes great sites of notable historical and cultural value which increase the offer of Tunisia showing the world other of its numerous attractions beyond the traditional. 

Link - https://www.tap.info.tn/en/Portal-Economy/18586422-manouba-city-to-be