The craft well distributed throughout the Tunisian territory
A little cumbersome, certainly, pottery is a major craft in Tunisia. The potteries of Nabeul or Sejnane are famous. Nabeul is obviously the capital of Tunisian pottery. It is known for its porous ceramics and its glazed dishes of yellow or green color. It is found in all its forms in all the souks of Tunisia. That of Sejnane, much less known, is also remarkable. Berber, it is distinguished by its primitive aspect: geometric or figurative patterns, its human or animal forms ... It is more rarely found in the souks
In the south, in Gabes, Tozeur and Nabeul mainly, place to basketry. Baskets, baskets, bags, hats ... a wide range of objects made with palm leaves, rush, halfa. Leather in Tunisia has a long history. Bags, wallets, handbags, satchels, belts, slippers ... the products are quality. You can find them at reasonable prices in all the souks and especially in Djerba, Tunis and Kairouan.
The blown glass, from the Syrian, Egyptian or Venetian tradition, is found in the workshops of Nabeul, Hammamet, Tunis and Gammarth (Sadika space).
Wood is a material that is used a lot, like the traditional furniture and musical instruments made in Aïn Draham and Kelibia. You will probably admire them more than buy them because they are bulky. Nevertheless, the puppets, made of wood, covered with colorful fabrics, are sold in almost all the souks of Tunisia. Old, even antique or sometimes too new, these puppets represent the bey, these warriors or characters of everyday life: the musician, the craftsman, the janissary ... Filling the souks of their gaiety, their colors and their mysteries, they are the symbol of Tunisian crafts. Specialty of Tunis and Kairouan, the copper, enamelled, chiselled or engraved, is transformed into a decorative object or table art.
Focus on the carpet
Carpet weaving was the traditional art of the nomads. No other craft expressed more perfectly the possibilities and needs of this life. The women wove carpets from the wool and hair of the herds that the men grazed. The dye came from plants and insects. The rugs woven in this way were perfectly suited to life in tents and on the ground. In sedentary communities, carpets were also used to cover consecrated areas, such as mausoleums or mosques. They testified to the wealth and taste of merchants and princes and were the object of a lucrative trade with Europe. They are all different and characteristic of the region that produces them, but the most famous ones come from Kairouan. Although the folkloric aspect of these places may seem a bit fake, one can always visit a workshop (or museum) which is usually just a store with a large enough selection to claim the title. While sipping a glass of mint tea, one can contemplate the most beautiful specimens of zarbia, alloucha, made of pure lamb's wool and knotted stitches, or mergoum, a short-haired woven carpet with geometric decorations. A little everywhere, we can also find small kilims, also woven and at prices also more affordable, which is worth them a growing success. As for the very beautiful Kairouanese carpets, they reach - even after haggling - sums that can approach or even exceed 1,500 €, depending on the criteria relating to the surface, the density of the weaving, that is to say the number of threads per square meter (160,000 to 250,000 for the most beautiful, or 400 to 500 per linear meter), and the complexity of the patterns
In the south, the carpet is more sober. You will also find kilims and mergoums, very beautiful Berber carpets with knotted stitches, often with simple designs, but of great nobility in the design and colors. To discover in the stores of the tourist area of Tozeur, for example.
In the north, the carpet is warmer, the material is both functional and aesthetic. Gabes is famous for its carpets whose designs are inspired by the woolen shawls worn by southern women on ceremonial days. The only thing these carpets have in common is the traditional colors of black, midnight blue and red. However, beware of scams and forced purchases in fake museums! Before making any purchase, check with the handicrafts office, which has set up a quality control system and publishes a carpet buying guide.
Taste pleasure
If we say Tunisia and gastronomy, it is likely that you think of pastries. Orange blossom, pistachio, almond, pine nut... Tunisian pastries are rich in flavors. Bring back with you some makhroud, ghraiba, baklawa, chamia, mlabes..., you will delight your friends' taste buds. It is much cheaper than in France and it is made in Tunisia. It is also the country of Harissa, a strong condiment used to enhance the taste of couscous or a sauce. Don't miss the Harissa festival in Nabeul if you come during this period. Otherwise, you can easily find it at the market
The country also produces about 8% of the world's olive oil. Pay attention to the origin and quality. Some wines and spirits will also delight your loved ones. Finally, Tunisia produces a wide variety of dates, including Kenta, Allig, Khuwat, and the famous Deglet Nour, the most consumed in the world, which come from the Nefta oasis on the Algerian border. There is something for everyone. Sold on branches or in bulk, they can be found in most markets and even in the airport stores and on the boat (but under packaging).
The weaving of traditional clothing for everyday use
Weaving is a feminine activity which is practiced on archaic looms of Egyptian origin. Their introduction dates back to the expedition to Egypt of Meryey, son of Ded, king of the Libus around 1225 B.C. It is on these vertical or horizontal looms that woolen fabrics are woven. Among the Berbers, the bakhnoug (wedding shawl), the assaba (headband), the wazra (hooded burnous), the battania, the hemel (blankets), the kilim (carpet with wide black, blue and orange stripes) are woven. The work of esparto grass also gives rise to the weaving of mats, baskets with handles and blassacs (bags that are attached to the backs of camels or donkeys for the transport of goods)
Among the traditional women's clothing, the fouta, a long tunic worn over light embroidered pants, is sold in many stores. For men, the jebba, a garment with a wide armhole, and the gandoura, a sleeveless tunic that falls to the ankles, can be worn with or without a headdress such as a fez or turban. Nowadays, only the inhabitants of the countryside remain faithful to this clothing tradition; in the city, these clothes are worn only for the great ceremonies.
Beauty products and cosmetics
Jasmine, amber, lemon, fell, lavender, musk... So many fragrances that will extend your journey through the senses. In the medina of Tunis you will find many perfumers, still it is necessary to distinguish the true craftsmen perfumers working in a traditional way and still proceeding with the distillation! Count approximately 8 DT the bottle
The machmoum, bouquet of jasmine flowers pricked on small tied stems, delicately put on the ear of the Tunisians embalmed your stay of its bewitching effluent. Since this bouquet is an ephemeral memory, the Maison de Senteurs in the medina of Tunis has marketed a very nice soap, which has a slightly longer life: the Mechmoum soap, on a ceramic soap dish that takes the shape and obviously the fragrance of the famous bouquet.
Henna(Lawsonia inermis) is a plant that grows in hot and dry climates, mainly from Morocco to India, through Egypt, Syria, Iran or Pakistan. It can measure up to three meters high and gives birth to a small and fragrant flower, white, pink or yellow according to the varieties. It is its leaf, dried and reduced to a powder of a beautiful soft green, that is used for dyeing hair, fingers, palms and soles. Red henna, black henna or neutral henna: if you buy it at the corner of a souk, check the color before you dye your hair, to avoid surprises..
Jewelry
As everywhere, Tunisian jewelry has its own particularity. Borrowing from the East as well as the West, they are all different from one region to another. In the north, they are of Turkish inspiration; in the Sahel region, of Syrian and Egyptian influence; in the west, they are less sophisticated and quite similar to Algerian jewelry; in the south, the enameled jewelry, of Hispano-Moorish origin, are the work of Jewish or Muslim artisans driven out of Spain and taken refuge in Djerba. All these traditional jewelry, preferably in silver, recall the Punic symbols, with pearl, amber, turquoise and coral
The Khamsa (or Fatma's hand) is very visible in Tunisia, especially on jewelry. Golden or fake, decorated with more or less kitsch, it can also be found in silver with a sobriety and a magnificent simplicity in old antique stores in Djerba or elsewhere. A beautiful gift. You can find it at any price.
Corals and heathers of Tabarka
Coral, cork and heather are the natural wealth of the Kroumirie coasts. Many stores in Tabarka sell coral jewelry and cork objects. Know, for the anecdote, that the pipe makers of Saint-Claude came formerly to seek their heather in Tabarka for the manufacture of their famous pipes. Thus we find on the spot, in Tabarka, a small factory very appreciated by the amateurs.
