Tunis, Kairouan and Carthage

Tunis, Kairouan and Carthage - the very names conjure up visions of 'a hundred dramatic scenes and incidents which have governed the subsequent history of the world'. In this volume (written at the beginning of the twentieth century) Graham Petrie gives a thorough and detailed account of the history and contemporary lief of these Tunisian habitations. But this is no mere travel guide: the author's first-hand acquaintance with the places and people he describes is evident in the absorbing narrative and delicate watercolours which are reproduced in full colour. The reader is plunged into the bustling atmosphere of Tunis, her many fascinating bazaars and accomplished craftsmen. And then there is Carthage, once 'a city of 700,000' inhabitants, the most magnificent and powerful in the world, the successful rival of Rome', now a dusty barren mound of interest only to the archaeologist. Of the Roman city, however, ruins are still to be seen, among them the amphitheatre and the great aqueduct. Finally, there is Kairouan, less ancient but equally compelling: 'glowing with colour, scintillating with light, and teeming with Oriental life.' The reader will marvel at the grandeur of its mosques and holy shrines, sensitively portrayed in the author's paintings.