Comments on: Tunisia Travelogue

By: Chirol

Chirol — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:25:13 +0000

Rommel: In terms of visitors I’m sure, but in terms of holy ranking, Kairouan is 4. It has the 1st mosque in Africa is apparently where Islam began its spread through the continent. (Which I find surprising given that E. Africa on the Red Sea seems so much more likely)

By: Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:25:44 +0000

WOW.. what fabulous pictures! Thank you.

By: Rommel

Rommel — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:06:38 +0000

btw, it is probable that Wikipedia refers to the holy cities which receive the most pilgrims. Given Jerusalem’s political situation, Kairouan would naturally be 3rd most visited.

By: Rommel

Rommel — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:00:43 +0000

Curses. I knew that. Perhaps more embarassing is that I was too lazy to run even the laziest of wiki checks, although it appears that wouldn’t have helped. Some things you just think you should post at 2:00 in the morning.

By: Chirol

Chirol — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:25:04 +0000

Rommel: Kairoan is the 4th holiest. Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Kairouan. Wikipedia is wrong =)

By: Rommel

Rommel — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:29:28 +0000

So now you’ve been to the third holiest city in (Sunni) Islam. Time for you to adopt the likeness of a Pashtun physician and make the Haj. We all know you’ve entertained the thought.

By: lirelou

lirelou — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:32:20 +0000

Just a minor Tunisian “CA” footnote. The French launched a military strike into Tunis in July 1961 to punish the government for cutting access to a Naval Air Station that had been left in place near Bizerte per the independence agreement, which the Tunisian government was then trying to shut down. Anyway, besides the usual cast of characters (2nd and 3rd Marine Parachute Infantry Regiments, 3rd Foreign Legion Infantry, and 8th Hussars), this was the last combat action by the “Far East Commando” (Commando #35 “Dam San”), which was composed of Montagnard and Vietnamese paratroops in French service. A fine example of a useless operation, in that the French turned around and abandoned the base within a few years of their victory.