Things to see and do Monastir

Built in 1963 and enlarged several times, this monument has housed the remains of the former president under a vast golden dome since 2000. On the sides of the main building, two other smaller domes, green in color, and dominated by two minarets 25 m high, house the graves of the parents of the president and that of his first wife. On the right, one can see the small marabout of Sidi Bou Zid, whose dome is made of clay tubes. The vast esplanade in front of the mausoleum is a pleasant place for family and popular gatherings.

Today the main mosque of the city, its construction was completed in 1963. It represents an attempt to renew religious art in Tunisia: the prayer room is square, the capitals of hafside style. Starting from a fairly traditional architectural base, it incorporates materials of high quality: columns of pink marble or onyx, golden mosaics, glass chandeliers, etc.. The mosque includes three courtyards paved with white marble. Non-Muslims will have to be content with admiring its high octagonal minaret, as access is forbidden to them.

Beyond being paradise islands, the Kuriat islands are the place of a successful collaboration between the Tunisian authorities and the civil society. This island is indeed co-managed by the State and by the NGO Notre Grand Bleu carried by environmental activists. The objective? To allow man and nature to cohabit in a unique environment, particularly prized by loggerhead turtles.

Located at about 20 km from the mainland, the big island, which has the same name as the archipelago, covers about 270 ha. 2 km further, the small island, the Conigliera island, covers about 70 ha. The islands are flat and low (maximum 5 m above sea level). In the northern and rocky part of both islands, and at very shallow depths, there are maerl bottom formations considered very rare and vulnerable on a Mediterranean scale.

On the island, it is not uncommon to see a sign and stakes indicating a turtle nest. When the baby loggerheads leave their shells, volunteers escort them to the sea, under the amazed eye of the tourists. Here everything is done to protect the loggerhead turtle(Caretta caretta), a species long threatened and now considered vulnerable. These two islands, which are in the process of being classified as a marine and coastal protected area, are the westernmost stable loggerhead nesting site on the southern Mediterranean coast. The two islets are prized by loggerheads because they are spared from pollution and enjoy total darkness at night - the time when turtles lay their eggs - unlike most of the Tunisian coast. The females, which become fertile only from about 20 years, return to lay eggs in the place of their birth. But only one turtle out of 1000 survives long enough to reproduce.

Awareness huts, hiking trails of 800 m with explanatory panels, presence of volunteers on site during the summer season: everything is set up to protect the turtles, especially during the laying. A kayak circuit has been created: it is 200 m wide and covers all the different shallow water habitats found in the Kuriat islands (posidonia meadows, rocks, drop-offs, etc.). Along the route, 5 markers inform the public about the fauna and flora present. Each marker is equipped with a submerged information panel to carry out educational swims with the accompaniment of an eco-guide of underwater excursion.

On the land side, during the season, volunteers take turns to spot the new nests. When the nests approach maturity, after 50 days, the co-managers and volunteers watch over them, before accompanying the little loggerheads to the sea, sharing these moments of wonder with the summer visitors. The baby turtles, barely 5 cm long, make their way through the sand. They are then taken out to sea, away from the bathers, and released near underwater fields of posidonia, where they can shelter and feed.

In addition to the rare opportunity to see these baby turtles, a visit to the Kuriat islands is an opportunity to understand the impact of global warming or the catastrophic consequences of plastic, which is not recycled in Tunisia, for marine animals.

The NGO Notre Grand Bleu has set itself the goal of protecting, managing, raising awareness and discovering the natural terrestrial and marine environment of the bay of Monastir and the Kuriat Islands. Successful bet with this unique experimentation!