4 star hotel offering 124 rooms and 6 junior suites. The Mercure Sfax is located right in the centre of Sfax, 5 minutes walk from the Medina and 300 metres from the municipal theatre.
The hotel has one restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, two lounge b a. rs and a nightclub. The hotel shopping arcade has around 50 shops for you to enjoy. The hotel also features a conference centre for up to 800 people. more info
TUNISIA INFORMATION
Tunisia, officially the Tunisian Republic, is a country situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. It is the northernmost African country and the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range. Around forty percent of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil, and a 1300-km coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient times, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, and later, as the Africa Province, which became known as the bread basket of the Roman Empire.
It is thought that the name Tunis (Arabic for both the nation and capital city) originated from Berber, meaning either a geographical promontory, or, "to spend the night."Tunis is a big city that has managed not to lose too much of its charm. The inner city is still the Casbah with its small winding streets that work their way up to the top of the hill where the Big Mosque and the old palace of the Bey of Tunis stand.
Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia. Approximately 98 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim. Most of them are Sunni belonging to the Malikite madhhab, but a small number of Ibadhi Muslims (Kharijites) still exist among the Berber-speakers of Jerba Island. There is no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. There is a small indigenous Sufi Muslim community; however, there are no statistics regarding its size. Reliable sources report that many Sufis left the country shortly after independence when their religious buildings and land reverted to the Government (as did those of Orthodox Islamic foundations). Although the Sufi community is small, its tradition of mysticism permeates the practice of Islam throughout the country. During annual Ramadan festivals, Sufis provide public cultural entertainment by performing religious dances. The Constitution declares that Islam is the official state religion and stipulates that the President must be a muslim.
The Government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the salaries of prayer leaders. The President appoints the Grand Mufti of the Republic. The 1988 Law on Mosques provides that only personnel appointed by the Government may lead activities in mosques and stipulates that mosques must remain closed except during prayer times and other authorized religious ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals. Police Stations will often be found near mosques.Some people maybe interrogated just for associating or being seen in the street with practising Muslims. New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the property of the Government. The Government also partially subsidizes the Jewish community. The following religious holidays are considered national holidays: Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr,Ras Al-Am El-Hejri, and Mouled. The Government also recognizes the sanctity of non-Muslim religious holidays.
Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools, but the religious curriculum for secondary school students also includes the history of Judaism and Christianity. The Zeitouna Koranic School is part of the Government's national university system. Generally, Shari'a-based interpretation of civil law is applied only in some family cases. Some families avoid the effects of Shari'a on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of property.
