These fine old gates are only two out of a great many that are in the wall around Tunis. The wall itself was built to keep out enemies, and the gates were built in it where the main streets were. You can see from the gate on the right how thick these walls are. The windows are where the guards stood to defend the city. You would know from this that Tunis is a very old city. It was a busy place 3,000 years ago. It was first built by sailors from Phoenicia (f-nsh´ -a). Within 8 miles of it are the ruins of Carthage (kär´thj). Carthage is the city against which the Romans fought for so long. Finally Carthage and Tunis were both taken by the Romans. The water now used in Tunis is carried to the city in an aqueduct built by the Romans. If you went through these gates you would find that Tunis is still a large place. It is the largest city, outside of Egypt, in Northern Africa. Its people number about 225,000, and are of all kinds. The tall tower you see beyond the walls tells you that Mohammedans (m-hm´ d n) live here, for the tower is a minaret (mn´ å-rt) on a Mohammedan mosque (msk). On the streets one sees camels, donkeys, medicine-men, snake-charmers, water-carriers, Mohammedan women with veils over their faces, fierce Arabs, French soldiers, Jewesses in white trousers, and Turks in bright pantaloons. Tunis is a seaport on the Mediterranean (md -tr-´ n-n). From it are shipped cork, olives, figs, dates, wheat, rye, and barley. The French rule the city and the province of Tunis. In a little graveyard in this old city an American, John Howard Payne, author of "Home Sweet Home," was buried in 1852. Keystone ID: 17131 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.