Constructed in the 18th century, it was remodeled to provide modern conveniences for the resident owners. In ancient times the Phoenicians, who dominated maritime trade for more than 1, years until supplanted by the Romans, built a lighthouse on this hill where a fire marked the entrance to the Bay of Tunis.
Legend says that the house of Hamilcar, father of Hannibal, was on this site, but development over the past two hundred years makes it unlikely archaeological evidence will ever be found. From this location in BC you could have watched the Roman destruction of Carthage, a few kilometers away at the base of the hill. In 19 BC you might have observed the arrival of 3, Roman colonists assigned to rebuild the storied entrepot by the emperor Augustus.
In , you would have seen the entire army of France camped on the shore while their king, Louis IX, lay in his tent dying of fever.
During the two years I lived and worked in Sidi Bou Said, it was a village of white stuccoed buildings adorned by Mediterranean blue doors and ornate grillwork. Today it remains a place popular not only with foreign tourists but also with Tunisians who come on weekends to enjoy the many restaurants, small coffee houses and stunning views of the Mediterranean.
Sidi Bou Said sits on a hilltop 20 minutes outside Tunis. Ruins of the 4th century Byzantine Basilica of Damous Karita are in the foreground. Many residents work in Tunis, twenty minutes away, but prefer to live among the gentle breezes enjoyed on the hilltop. Strict architectural regulations preserve the appearance and ambiance of the village as it was in the early twentieth century.
