Monastir المنستير | |
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 Monastir from theribat's tower | |
 Seal | |
 Monastir from space | |
  Monastir Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates:35°46′10″N10°49′10″E / 35.76944°N 10.81944°E /35.76944; 10.81944 | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Monastir Governorate |
| Delegation(s) | Monastir |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mondher Marzouk (Independent) |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.9 sq mi (46.3 km2) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 107,127 |
| • Density | 6,000/sq mi (2,300/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC1 (CET) |
| ZIP code | 5000 |
| Area code | 73 |
Monastir, also calledMestir (Arabic:المنستيرMonastīr / Mestīrⓘ, from theGreekμοναστήριον "hermit's cell,monastery"), is a city on the central coast ofTunisia, in theSahel area, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south ofSousse and 162 kilometres (101 miles) south ofTunis. Traditionally a fishing port, Monastir is now a major tourist resort. Its population is about 93,306. It is the capital ofMonastir Governorate.
Monastir is apeninsula surrounded by theMediterranean Sea on three sides and forming, to the south, the Gulf of Monastir of the same name, which extends to Cap ofRas Dimass. It offers diverse landscapes, in particular its sandy and rocky beaches as well as acliff stretching over nearly six kilometers.
Monastir was founded on the ruins of thePunic–Roman city ofRuspina. The city features a well-preservedRibat of Monastir that was used to scan the sea for hostile ships and as a defence against the attacks of the Byzantine fleet. Severalulema came to stay in theribat of this peaceful city for contemplation. The ribat was, in the 1970s, also one of the filming locations for both theminiseriesJesus of Nazareth andMonty Python'sLife of Brian. There are panoramic views of the city taken from a French naval intelligence airship in 1924.
The city is on the electrified, metre-gaugeSahel Metro line with trains servingSousse andMahdia which the city is served by 5 stations of the metro :Hôtels Monastir,Aéroport Skanès-Monastir,Faculté Monastir,Monastir,Monastir-Zone indistruelle.Monastir – Habib Bourguiba International Airport has flights from most Western European countries. It is run byTepe Akfen Ventures Airport Holding (TAV).
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Monastir has ahot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh) with hot summers, pleasant winters, much sunshine and low rainfall year-round. The city sits in the northeast of Tunisia, on its central coast. It is milder than inland areas of Tunisia, forty percent of which is part of the Sahara. In the summer, while humidity is low, the soaring heat can still be hard to handle. The average high temperature of 29 °C (84.2 °F) in June skips past the 30 °C (86 °F) mark in the middle of the month and rises to 33 °C (91.4 °F) in July and August.
| Climate data for Monastir (1991–2020, extremes 1968–2017) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.2 (81.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 37.1 (98.8) | 37.5 (99.5) | 43.6 (110.5) | 47.0 (116.6) | 48.3 (118.9) | 47.0 (116.6) | 43.0 (109.4) | 39.5 (103.1) | 31.7 (89.1) | 29.7 (85.5) | 48.3 (118.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.9 (62.4) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 32.5 (90.5) | 33.1 (91.6) | 29.8 (85.6) | 26.5 (79.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.1 (64.6) | 24.4 (75.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) | 13.1 (55.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 25.0 (77.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 20.2 (68.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.2 (52.2) | 13.6 (56.5) | 16.9 (62.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.2 (73.8) | 24.1 (75.4) | 22.1 (71.8) | 18.8 (65.8) | 13.6 (56.5) | 9.9 (49.8) | 16.0 (60.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) | 0.1 (32.2) | 1.9 (35.4) | 4.5 (40.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.3 (45.1) | 0.2 (32.4) | −1.9 (28.6) | −1.9 (28.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 36.7 (1.44) | 29.5 (1.16) | 33.7 (1.33) | 21.9 (0.86) | 19.7 (0.78) | 5.9 (0.23) | 2.7 (0.11) | 15.4 (0.61) | 65.4 (2.57) | 54.9 (2.16) | 38.4 (1.51) | 40.8 (1.61) | 364.9 (14.37) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 41.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 70 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 65 | 66 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 69 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 178.9 | 188.2 | 221.4 | 240.7 | 291.8 | 315.4 | 350.7 | 323.7 | 243.5 | 221.6 | 195.0 | 171.8 | 2,942.7 |
| Source 1: Institut National de la Météorologie (humidity 1961-1990, sun 1981–2010)[1][2][3][4][note 1] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
Theindustrial sector,tourism and agriculture constituting the main activities of the population : The economy of this region is also based onagriculture. The 86% of land used for agriculture, of which 13,125 ha are public or private irrigated areas. 450 ha are forests against 4,600 ha for rangelands. The livestock production is around 74,500 head (cattle, goats, sheep). Regarding the main agricultural products, the region produces in particular fishery products (23,983 t / year), red meat, poultry, milk, oil and olive. Olive cultivation covers an area of 60,000 ha. Monastir is also making a reputation for the production of vegetable crops (169,702 t / year) and arboriculture (11,297 t). The development of agriculture is favored by the presence of 8 hill lakes and hill dams. The establishment of a dozen aquaculture sites in the lagoon of Monastir also allows the region to engage in the breeding of sea bream and sea bass.
The tourist sector occupies the third occupation of the population with luxury hotels by the sea, golf courses ... the region attracts many foreign tourists. The tourism sector has more than fifty hotel units with a total accommodation capacity of more than 25,440 beds. These hotels provide 9,000 jobs. In addition to the 8th century ribat, the great mosque, the Bourguiba mosque, the museums, the souk, the Kiriates islands, the city also has other assets such as the marina, diving centers, two golf courses, a racecourse, night clubs etc. Entertainment abounds between fun and sporting activities. For its last 5 decades, it has attracted tourists by the seaside potential of Saknes. It has two hotel units, a museum, a marine district and the marina. There is also the tourist area of Jinène El Oust which has 6 residential units and the Bekalta area which has 6 hotel units and entertainment lots. In addition, the region's transport infrastructure is also one of the determining factors in the growth of this governorate. Indeed, it has an international airport, a train station, and a metro that connects it to Sousse andMahdia. Buses, taxis, rental vehicles also connect it to these two other governorates.[7]
Nouvelair has its head office in Monastir in the Dkhila Tourist Zone,[8][9] near the Hôtel Sahara Beach.[10]
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Monastir has a museum of Islamic arts, inaugurated on August 5, 1958, and which is housed on the first floor of the south wing of the ribat; it contains nearly 300 works (fragments of wood, funerary stelae, polished ceramics, etc.) and receives the visit of almost 100,000 visitors every year.[11]
The ethnomusicologist and clarinetist Hassine Haj Youssef is one of Monastir's most active personalities in the musical field. A disciple of Salah El Mahdi, he is also the father of the violinist and composer Jasser Haj Youssef. He is a professor at the National Conservatory of Monastir and at the Higher Institute of Music of Sousse. He has adapted the method ofZoltán Kodály to the teaching of Arabic music, he is also the producer of several programs of traditional music and anthropology on Radio Monastir and on national television.
Since 2005, he has devoted his time to composition and research on Sufi music in Tunisia.
The city of Monastir has:
Monastir is also a university city, incorporating theUniversity of Monastir which was founded on September 2, 2004[12] and covers the governorates of Monastir andMahdia. The university of Monastir includes sixteen faculty departments, of which ten are located in Monastir:
The student population of Monastir exceeded 27,000 in 2007–2008, making the city one of the largest in terms of university studies along withTunis,Sfax andSousse.
Monastir is represented by theUS Monastir infootball and thebasketball. In 2022, theUS Monastir won theBAL after being the finalist in2021 BAL season.
The monastirian team plays its matches in theMustapha Ben Jannet stadium for the football, and theMohamed-Mzali indoor for the basketball.
The city hosts multiple M15 and M25 tournaments on theITF World Tennis Tour.
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Tunisian ex-presidentHabib Bourguiba was born in Monastir, and his mausoleum is located in the city.Many other famous politicians are also from Monastir:
Among other notable people:
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Manisa, Turkey
Münster, Germany
Saint-Étienne, France
Tétouan, Morocco
Tizi Ouzou, Algeria
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Monastir's northeastern territories lead into a place called Route de la Falaise, through which one can reach its most notable suburb, Skanes, which is 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) from Monastir's town centre.[citation needed] Hugging Tunisia's coastline, Skanes is a holiday resort known mostly for its professional golf courses; white, sandy beaches; clear blue sea; and hotels that fuse Moorish architecture with modern designs. It is frequented throughout the summer by tourists from around the world.[citation needed] They also come for themedina, where it is possible to sample fresh Tunisian cooking and bargain for local goods.[citation needed]
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