Medina of Sfax

Sfax, Tunisia's second city and a busy commercial port, keeps one of the country's most complete medinas. Its walls, first built by the Aghlabids in the mid-9th century, still run unbroken around the old town, and the main entrance is Bab Diwan. Inside, the Great Mosque dates from the same period, and the souks are used mostly by local shoppers rather than tourists, which gives the medina an everyday feel. The Dar Jellouli museum, in an 18th-century merchant's house, displays costumes, jewellery and furniture of old Sfax families. Sfax is also the ferry port for the Kerkennah Islands.