On Sunday, I traveled by taxi, train, bus, and light rail trolley to Sidi Bou Saïd, a pretty town nestled on the coast amid the few remnant ruins of Carthage. This trip was not about ancient archaeology, but about the artists and writers who visited or stayed and, for a time, made Sidi Bou Saïd famous among the continental intelligentsia. Paul Klee, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Andre Gide, Flaubert, and Cervantes all made their way there.
Almost as soon as I arrived, I toured the Dar El Annabi, a traditional Tunisian house originally owned by a local mufti. Some of its 55 rooms are still occupied by the mufti’s grandson, a cardiologist. It’s a fascinating look at Tunisian design and artistic sensibilities. These pictures were all taken inside his house.
And for those wondering where Sidi Bou Saïd is, I was here:
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