Year: 2017

Egypt revamps cave museum devoted to Nazi general

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An old field telephone from the 1940s, a Nazi flag and a map of Tobruk greet visitors to the newly reopened Rommel Cave Museum in Marsa Matrouh, one of Egypt’s lesser known tourist destinations. The items belonged to Erwin Rommel, one of the most celebrated generals of Nazi Germany until he was implicated in a plot to kill the Fuhrer in 1944. Rommel has long been remembered as one of the few “decent” Nazi commanders, though there is debate over his legacy of chivalry. Rommel was known to the Germans as “the people’s…

Fastest-growing destinations for first four months of 2017

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If you were asked to pick the spot with the fastest-growing number of visitor numbers so far this year 
 then the answer may not be exactly what you might expect. Official figures from the United Nations on what were the fastest-growing destinations for the first four months of 2017 reveal the Palestinian Territories came out number one. Visitor numbers there were already well up by April, with hopes high that the annual figure of 400,000 tourists from last year would be exceeded. Egyptcame in second where the number of arrivals was up…

Traditional Falconry Festival Still a Major Tourist Attraction in Tunisia

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t’s exactly three months to this year’s Falconry Festival, one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Tunisia, and locals are already preparing for the special carnival. The festival basically involves hunting with falcons – rare birds of prey that belong to the genus Falco and are known for their exceptionally strong eyesight. The two-day fair, which takes place between December 8 and 9, comprises of varied exhibitions by locals, practical falconry workshops, and merrymaking. Although some Tunisians are slowly losing interest in the festival, it remains one of the…

‘Tsunami-sunk’ Roman ruins discovered in Tunisia

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Vast underwater Roman ruins have been discovered off northeast Tunisia, apparently confirming a theory that the city of Neapolis was partly submerged by a tsunami in the 4th century AD. “It’s a major discovery,” Mounir Fantar, the head of a Tunisian-Italian archaeological mission which made the find off the coast of Nabeul, told AFP. He said an underwater expedition had found streets, monuments and around 100 tanks used to produce garum, a fermented fish-based condiment that was a favourite of ancient Rome. “This discovery has allowed us to establish with…

Boatload of migrants drown off Tunisia coast: Survivor

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A boat teeming with illegal migrants is believed to have sunk off the Tunisian coast, possibly resulting in scores of deaths, Shamseddine Marzouq of the independent Tunisian Red Crescent said Thursday. “One of the boat’s Nigerian passengers managed to swim ashore near Benguerdan’s Al-Katef Port on Wednesday,” Marzouq told Anadolu Agency. According to Marzouq, the survivor, who did not give his name, said the boat’s roughly 120 other passengers had all drowned in the sea after the vessel sank due to reasons that remain unclear. The doomed vessel had set out from…

UN envoy announces high-level meeting on Libya

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The gathering  will take place on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting Ghassan Salame, the United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), has announced a high level meeting chaired by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres will take place next month following talks that Mr Salame is holding in the country this week Mr Salame who took up his position last month, made the announcement from Tripoli where he held a tele-briefing with the Security Council from the UN headquarters there, highlighting his  on-the-ground approach to…

Fighting terrorism Macron’s top priority

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French President Emmanuel Macron has made the fight against “Islamic terrorism” in Syria and Iraq the top priority in his foreign policy agenda. Speaking on Tuesday to French diplomats gathered at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Macron called the Islamic State group “our enemy.” “Restoring peace and stability – Iraq then Syria – is vital priority for France,” he said. He proposed creating a new contact group including the other permanent members of the UN Security Council to help handle negotiations with Syria. The group will first meet at the…

The Other Humanitarians in the Mediterranean: Tunisia’s Fishermen

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Tunisian fishermen living near the Libyan border have been rescuing migrants and recovering the dead for years. With the recent curbs on NGO boats, and an emboldened Libyan coast guard, they may bear the burden of Mediterranean rescues once again. ZARZIS, TUNISIA – There are no signs to mark what lies beneath the rocky mounds of dirt and sparse browning weeds in this vacant government lot down a rugged, unpaved road near Tunisia’s coast. But Chamseddine Marzoug, a former fisherman, cannot forget. “In the corner over there, there is a man without a head,” said Marzoug,…

Tourism: amusement park opens in Tunisia

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The first amusement park opened in Sfax on Monday and is set to become a major visitor and tourist attraction for the entire region. Built across an area of 18,000 sqm at a cost of 22 million Tunisian dinars, Sfax Land is equipped with all the latest rides and attractions as well as a large restaurant area. “We chose Sfax to fill the gap in terms of entertainment with respect to Tunis, Sousse and Djerba,” said Naim Hobeika, director general of developer Zinadi Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Lebanese giant…

Libya seizes foreign tanker, trawler

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Libya seized a foreign oil tanker and trawler Wednesday off the country’s western coast and detained their crews for questioning in Tripoli, the navy and coast guard said. “The Rex, a Tanzanian-flagged tanker registered in Zanzibar, was intercepted” loaded with a suspected illegal cargo of Libyan diesel, navy spokesman General Ayoub Kacem told AFP. A coastguard official in Tripoli, Colonel Abu Ajila Abdelbarri, said the vessel had been under surveillance for several days. He said a Maltese trawler was also seized for fishing in Libyan waters without authorisation.  The two…