In streets of the Medina, Tunis Photo

Photographer’s Note

In streets of the Medina, Tunis

The walls which once enclosed the Medina in Tunis long since disappeared, apart from a few town gates, and their place has been taken by a ring of streets around the old town, which is in the form of an oval measuring 1,500m/1,640yds from north to south by 800m/880yds from east to west. It is the largest Medina in Tunisia and the finest after the Medina of Kairouan. Originally going back to the ninth-11th centuries, it dates in its present form largely from the Hafsid (13th century) and Turkish (17th-18th century) periods. The French demolished its outer walls but left it otherwise unchanged.

The Médina, built on a gentle hill slope on the way down to the Tunis Lake, is the historical heart of the city and home to many monuments, including palaces, such as the Dar Ben Abdallah and Dar Hussein, the mausoleum of Tourbet El Bey or many mosques such as Zitouna Mosque. Some of the fortifications have now largely disappeared around it, and it is flanked by the two suburbs of Bab Souika to the north and Bab El Jazira to the south.
But east of the original nucleus, first with the construction of the French Consulate, the modern city was built gradually with the introduction of the French protectorate at the end of the nineteenth century, on open land between the city and the lake. The axis to the structure of this part of the city is the Avenue Habib Bourguiba, designed to by the French to be a Tunisian form of Champs-Elysees in Paris with its cafes, major hotels, shops and cultural venues. On both sides of the tree lines avenue, north and south, the city was extended in various districts, with the northern end welcoming residential and business districts while the south receives industrial districts and poorer peoples.

Tunis

Tunis (Arabic: تونس‎, Tūnis) is the capital of the Tunisian Republic and also the Tunis Governorate, with a population of 1,200,000 in 2008. It is Tunisia's largest city.
Situated on a large Mediterranean gulf, (the Gulf of Tunis), behind the Lake of Tunis and the port of La Goulette (Halq al Wadi), the city extends along the coastal plain and the hills that surround it. At the centre of more modern development (colonial era and post) lies the old medina. Beyond this section lie the suburbs of Carthage, La Marsa, and Sidi Bou Said.
The medina is found at the centre of the city: a dense agglomeration of alleys and covered passages, full of intense scents and colours, boisterous and active trade, a surfeit of goods on offer ranging from leather to plastic, tin to the finest filigree, tourist souvenirs to the works of tiny crafts-shops. (Source: planetware & tunisguide & wikipedia)

subhendu_bagchi, besnard, jlbrthnn, leonorkuhn, ChrisJ, asajernigan, John_F_Kennedy, vasilpro, jjcordier, ManuMay, ktanska, JCG, JCG, AiresSantos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

npecanhuk (15142) 2009-10-26 2:23

Hello George!
Magnificent daily life photograph!
It's so colorful!
Sharpness and exposure are excellent!
The pov was very well chosen, as well as the vertical format!
The composition is successful and very attractive!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

ymrk (9262) 2009-10-26 2:29

there are usually at everywhere...and of course you had scanned technically...Have a nice week,George!

Yağmur

two_fun (96) 2009-10-26 2:30

Great photo with good composition and colors. Congratulations!

ifege (2063) 2009-10-26 2:32

A good photo of daily life George with the mix of people and products. Tricky lighting handle well.
cheers
Ian

subhendu_bagchi (3762) 2009-10-26 2:52

Hi George,
Nice composition once again. The alley looks alive in your picture. Nice depth and sharpness. Presence of people in alley made it so colourful. Light management is great as ever. Very very well done. Tfs.
Congrats.
Subhendu

snunney (35808) 2009-10-26 2:53

Hello George,
A splendid composition of this nicely animated street scene. The carpet seller is well included; adding to the mood and creating a sense of depth. A fine daily life image with good colours and sharpness. Thanks for sharing.

besnard (31316) 2009-10-26 3:14

Bonjour Georg
Une belle composition vivante et colorée. L'image est bien cadrée, profonde et donne envie d'aller voir ce qu'il y a plus loin.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

jlbrthnn (39451) 2009-10-26 4:19

Hello George,
It is difficult to make a more typical image of Tunis. One is really plunged in the middle of the trade and the traditional craft industry. People, the colors, the objects, are a superb decoration. Excellent realization. Cheer.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

leonorkuhn (14351) 2009-10-26 4:26

Hi George,

Excellent capture of this old part of the city. Very good POV, the curve of the pavement leads the eye through the narrow street. The soul of the city is here. Great light, beautiful colors. Very good job!

Greetings
Leonor

ChrisJ (70485) 2009-10-26 4:48

Hello George

A superb daily life scene at the market, with the dusty pavement adding good lead in lines & perspective. Excellent colour & sharpness. Tfs!

Morac (21113) 2009-10-26 5:34

Bonjour George,
C'est un beau résultat avec une agréable lumière et un effet de profondeur tout à fait réussi.

Cordialement
Marc

macjake (2725) 2009-10-26 6:24

Hi George

i clearly remember this scene while in Tunis. I remember the business of the Medina, the smells, the shops, the jewlery, and most of all the people.
Not to mention the colours.
Excellent moment caught in freeze frame of daily life in Tunisia.
well done
Thanks, and have a great day
Craig

asajernigan (14392) 2009-10-26 7:45

George,
This is a nice shot of this lively market place. The curving alley leads the eye through the scene nicely. The lighting and colors are fine as is the photo's sharpness. The people add life as well as a sense of scale to the scene.
TFS,
Asa

John_F_Kennedy (32308) 2009-10-26 7:57

Hello George,
That's an excellent daily life photo from beautiful Tunis market. You caught it with a perfect exposure. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

TopGeo (22475) 2009-10-26 8:36

Hello George,A typical image of Tunis. Great photo of road with good composition and daily life ! It's so colorful! Sharpness and exposure are wonderful!
The pov was very well chosen, as the vertical format also is successful and very attractive!. Congratulations!
Georgios

vasilpro (9767) 2009-10-26 10:07

Hello George,
Excellent colorful daily life composition from a market in Tunisia, very nice POV, very good light management.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

JT50 (1067) 2009-10-26 13:38

Hi George,
Nice shot of daily life
at this bazar. Many details
captured with a good POV.
Regards.
Janak

jjcordier (25446) 2009-10-26 23:37

George
Une image intéressante et bien composée de la médina de Tunis. Belle gestion de la lumière
Amicalement
JJ

Graal (59090) 2009-10-27 0:33

Jó napot George,
great palette of colours, amazing place, well presentation of markets and sellers. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander.

delpeoples (6996) 2009-10-27 3:07

Hi George, now we're getting to the heart of Tunisia here. Bazaars and the people who go to them are always so colourful and interesting. This photo is full of life and colour - it's very dynamic. The vertical cut was well-chosen and the DOF again is excellent. Congrats, it's a winner for me. Enjoy your Tuesday, TFS, Lisa.

amaryllis (17986) 2009-10-27 4:26

Bonjour Georg
certes, ces petites ruelles dans la médina sont vraiment très belles car avec les commerces, beaucoup de couleurs vives, et une animation assurée; les passages sous ces arcades sont spendides
merci de nous faire partager avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme cette série
juliette

carper (66108) 2009-10-27 4:41

very nice one George,
good composition, fantastic details, good speed and technical very good photo job here, have a nice day.
regard jaap

ManuMay (11554) 2009-10-27 4:52

Hi George!

This capture has the feeling of ancient tapestries and oil paintings, its wonderful light and the way you have conceived and composed makes me remember ancient paintings of romantic classics...Very good cadrage and light management, really a daily life theme stopped by your camera...

Have a nice day...

Manuel

ktanska (16741) 2009-10-27 5:29

Hi George,
Again I like this closed view of old Medina. Warm sandstone colours, life going on and colourful merchandise. Good off centre framing.
Kari

coco (28276) 2009-10-27 7:15

Hi George.

Very good and nice work with the composition. The tunnel and the people under the arch are great and the whole composition and exposure too.

Regards.

Silvio1953 (43362) 2009-10-27 11:58

Ciao George, wonderful perspective on beautiful bazar, fantastic colors, lovely composition, very well done, ciao Silvio

mesutilgim (37555) 2009-10-27 15:21

Hello Georg,
Another great capture from Tunis; colorfull, vivid and informativ.
Very good pov and perfect light management.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

JCG (25863) 2009-10-28 8:25

Hello George,

A commercial alley where it must be very pleasant to walk. One feels well the atmosphere which circulates in this kind of district. I like much the dynamics of the image and the many details. Beautiful and interesting photograph just like your note, thank you George.

With all my friendships and a very good end-of-day,

Jean-Charles

AiresSantos (43250) 2009-10-29 1:40

Hi George
Beautiful colours and details in this excellent picture of the Medina
Well chosen the vertical format
Have a nice day
Aires