Fodor's Expert Review Kasbah

The twisted maze of narrow streets and tiny courtyards at the core of Mazara’s historical center is most interesting if you visit with a local guide. There is no danger, but as the distinction between what is a private courtyard and a public thoroughfare is blurred, it is far more comfortable, as a stranger, to be accompanied by a local (in addition, you will probably get to meet a few of the 4,000-strong Tunisian community who live here). Throughout the Kasbah (and indeed scattered all over the historic center) are a series of ceramic statues, some commissioned from local artists, others by schoolchildren, as an appealing initiative by the local administration. On Via Porta Palermo, students from the local art school were given free rein to decorate the metal doors of abandoned lock-ups. Tours are at their most evocative just before sunset, when men gather after a day’s work in little social clubs, children play in the street or go to the community play center, and the sound of a recorded muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.