Built at the beginning of the 19th century for the son of Mahmud Bey, the seventh leader of the Husainid Dynasty, and then gifted to M'hamed El Monastiri, a prominent trader in chechias (traditional felt caps), this palace has a particularly lovely entrance door framed with carved limestone. It's now home to the Centre National des Arts Calligraphiques, which trains specialists in traditional Arabic penmanship.
Dar El Monastiri
Tunis
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.34 MILES
This sprawling maze of ancient streets and alleyways is one of the most impressive medieval medinas in North Africa and one of Tunisia's great treasures…
1.92 MILES
The main draw at the Tunisia's top museum is its magnificent collection of Roman mosaics. These provide a vibrant and fascinating portrait of ancient…
13.41 MILES
On the cultivated amber slopes of Mt Mekrima, the fascinating but little-visited ruins of ancient Uthina are the remains of one of the Roman Empire's…
0.43 MILES
A medina highlight, this hugely atmospheric souq is filled with exquisitely decorated shops producing and selling chechias, Tunisia's traditional blood…
-
0.64 MILES
Tunisian food markets offer a great introduction to local culture, and Tunis' Marché Centrale is particularly atmospheric. The original market building…
28.24 MILES
This appealing golden curve of beach is anchored by a rock-hewn castle-like villa, said to have belonged to Wassila Bourguiba, the wife of the former…
9.8 MILES
The Romans chose a sublime seaside setting for this monumental terme (bath complex), a short walk downhill from the Roman villas. Begun under Hadrian and…
0.47 MILES
Located in the heart of Tunis' medina, this important mosque was founded in 734 and built on a site once occupied by a church. It was totally rebuilt in…
Nearby Tunis attractions
0.04 MILES
This mosque, hidden behind a yellow door and topped with a cluster of white domes, was constructed in 1692 and is ranked as one of Tunis' finest Ottoman…
0.05 MILES
Final resting place of Sidi Mehrez, Tunis’ patron saint. Women offer prayers here to be endowed with a husband or children.
0.13 MILES
Once home to the Lasram family, who provided the beys with scribes, this magnificent building dates from the early 19th century and was one of the first…
0.17 MILES
Fronting onto a pretty, palm-shaded square, this 19th-century palace, later split to house two schools – one for Jews, one for Muslims – is grandly named…
0.28 MILES
This mosque dates from the 19th century (though the minaret was added only in 1970), when Halfaouine was an emerging fashionable quarter. It forms part of…
0.34 MILES
This sprawling maze of ancient streets and alleyways is one of the most impressive medieval medinas in North Africa and one of Tunisia's great treasures…
0.41 MILES
Harmoniously designed and richly decorated, this 17th-century mosque reflects the prosperity of that period. Its witch’s-hat minaret is octagonal, which…
0.43 MILES
This 16th-century mausoleum was built on the site of a funduq (caravanserai or travellers' inn), in which the 13th-century mystic and professor once lived…