Bab El Bhar

This freestanding stone gateway marks the historic boundary between the old medina of Tunis and the colonial new town that grew up around the Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Once called the Porte de France, it stood in the city walls that have long since disappeared, leaving the arch isolated at the meeting of two very different urban worlds. Crowds pass beneath it daily, moving between the souks behind and the cafes ahead. Its whitewashed form has become a symbol of the transition from traditional to modern Tunis.