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- The minaret of the Great Mosque seems to be the centre of Tunis, with around its ancient and modern neighbourhoods.

- When the Hafsids took Tunis for capital, they constructed in the North African style.

- They wanted to continue what they had inherited from the Aghlabid and Sanhaja architectural art.

- But if at first they ignored Eastern forms, they finally resorted to Andalusian craftsmen

- who built monuments and cultivated vines according to the Andalusian style.

- Architects, builders, loggers, potters and painters

- were Tunisian. Andalusians have only brought models of monuments from Granada, Valencia, Toledo, etc.

- The plan is simple: the Great Mosque and around markets of different trades, more or less distant from the mosque according to their nobility.

- The old city, the Kasbah, Al-Rabdhan, Bab Souika, Bab El-Jazeera. The Hafsids, and at their head Abu Zakaria, were the first to build Al-Ahwaz,

- these are the buildings that surround the capital today, as if they had planned the future of the capital.

- Castles of Ras Tabia and Bardo, gardens of Ariana, Dar El-Nozha, all are wonderful works. Nevertheless, historians do not consider the Hafsids as great builders

- as they did not leave constructions such as the Almohads’ones. Their architectural talent was even denied.

- Nevertheless, historians recognize their contribution to the construction of the capital,

- which has withstood Banu Hilal attacks and Spanish bombings.

- Music

- At this period Tunis was an important trade area in the Mediterranean.

- In addition to exiled Andalusian, Muslims and Jews, most of them being fez and jewellery manufacturers,

- markets were full of merchants from Genoa, Venice, Pisa and other independent Italian cities.

- The Hafsid state had very strong economic relations with Christian countries.

- It built quarters for Jews who wanted to settle, hotels for Christians and also accepted consuls.

- Economic activity provided intellectual development. We know that Hafsid civilization revived the Maliki doctrine.

- Schools of jurisprudence have been created in Tunis and Kairouan by the famous scholar Ibn Arafa.

- Simultaneously, Sufism peaked thanks to sheikhs like Sidi Bou Said, Sidi Belahcene, Saida Manoubia,

- and best known Sidi Ibn Arous,

- who was highly respected by the population. In 1463, almost all people attended his funeral.

- Ibn Khaldun was amazed by Hafsid gardens. The book "Al-Massalik" also stressed out the importance of hammams and markets,

- the oldest are those of perfume and textile, established during the 13th or 14th century.

- New markets had to be built because trade increased rapidly.

- Tunisia exported cereals, dates, olive oil, wax, fish, salt,

- carpets, coral, wool, leather, some weapons and perhaps even slaves.

- It imported cereals in case of need, birds of prey, glass, wood,

- metal, spices, herbs, perfume, poppy, flax, silk, cotton, fabric, jewellery and weapons.

- Imported goods were subject to a 10% tax.

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- While we were looking for historical sites to illustrate our film, we discovered uninhabited streets where there are however shoemakers who then bring a new craft to the history of these streets.

- As there was significant trade in Tunis, currencies of gold and silver were higher than those of Christian countries.

- Trade techniques have also developed, such as insurances on boats

- or commercial agreements with Italian cities. They provided freedom of navigation and regulated trade and settlement conditions.

- However, because of too much piracy, this activity came to an end.

- Music

- Markets of the city are ways in to enter a historical past now forgotten.

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