Tunis Old Town (Medina)
“Never follow them under any circumstances!”
When researching Tunis’ old town (Medina), this warning phrase appears almost without fail. The topic of suspicious guides approaching you on the street is a standard subject mentioned in every travel blog about the area.
I had read such information before my trip. But honestly, I only thought, “Well, I can just politely refuse them.” I had a certain pride in having visited countries like Morocco and Egypt, places known for having many people who try to extract money from tourists.
Little did I know that this overconfidence would lead to the events of that day.
An Unexpected Encounter
That day, I was exploring Tunis’ old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. As I was walking through the maze-like alleys, a young man in his late twenties suddenly approached me.
“Hey! Where are you from?”
Thinking rationally, I should have recognized him as a suspicious guide at this point. But, caught up in the excitement of travel, I found myself responding enthusiastically to this interaction with a friendly local.
“You’re from Japan! Actually, I have the day off from work today. I’m free, so if you’d like, I can show you some hidden spots in the old town.”
Mouin, who suddenly became our guide
Looking back now, it was obviously suspicious. But his smile was strangely charming, and above all, the words “hidden spots” intrigued me. Perhaps he would take me to interesting places not found in tourist guidebooks.
In the end, out of curiosity, we decided to follow him.
A Surprisingly Knowledgeable Young Man
The young man did indeed know the old town well. He took us to cafés that only locals knew about, guided us to a hidden rooftop with a panoramic view of the old town. These were all places not found in tourist guidebooks.
However, there was something slightly concerning. His guidance was almost too smooth. His explanations at each stop were fluent, as if he had guided the same course many times. Was he really “a young man who happened to be off work today”?
The Incident at the Carpet Shop
Just as these doubts crossed my mind, he suggested, “There’s a special carpet exhibition happening only until today. Would you like to take a look?”
The exhibition venue was in a somewhat secluded area of the old town. When we entered the store, there was an elderly woman and man with gruff expressions, whom he introduced as “These are the carpet artisans.”
Then a man who emerged from the back of the shop began to unfold carpets one after another.
“Which pattern do you prefer, this one or that one?”
“How about this design?”
“What do you think of these colors?”
The older man explained and asked questions in Arabic, which the young man translated into English for me. Bombarded with questions, I honestly answered my preferences. Before I knew it, the questions had shifted to “Do you want this one?” assuming I would make a purchase.
“No, I don’t intend to buy anything. Besides, I have luggage restrictions and can’t take it back to Japan…”
The young man immediately responded, “No problem, carpets can be rolled up small, and we can also ship them to Japan.”
Following these words, the elderly man stood up and began rolling up a carpet right in front of me. Surprisingly, a large camel hair carpet about 200×100 cm was folded down to a size that could fit in a 30-liter backpack.
Moved by this craftsmanship, I found myself asking about the price.
“This camel carpet is $700.”
That’s certainly too expensive. But it was also a piece that had survived the comparison of nearly 20 carpets. The pattern and colors were undeniably perfect for my taste, and honestly, I had started to want it. So I negotiated the price, and they reduced it to $500. And then, caught up in the atmosphere of the moment, I decided to make the purchase.
Mysterious Tip Requests
After agreeing to purchase the carpet, the elderly woman brought mint tea with a beaming smile. It was as if she was a completely different person from the one with the bitter expression just moments ago. I sipped the mint tea while watching the man package the carpet for easy transport. I’ve heard that when you buy a luxury car, champagne is sometimes served on the spot—perhaps this was the Tunisian version of that experience.
Then the young man said, “Give a tip to the elderly man.” Bewildered, I paid about $15.
Then I was told, “For the elderly woman too,” and again paid about $15. Wondering if this was a unique Tunisian tipping culture showing respect to artisans, I paid the tips without question.
However, as I later learned, such tips were completely unnecessary.
The Truth Revealed
As a follow-up, when I later asked about this at another carpet shop, shocking facts came to light.
“You bought it at that shop? They’re always luring in foreign customers.”
“They said it was limited until today? That’s a lie.”
“$500? Isn’t that a bit expensive?”
It seemed I had been completely tricked.
Nevertheless, the carpet I bought did have a Tunisian government-certified seal, confirming it was a genuine handwoven camel carpet. Considering the cost of ordering one individually from Japan, perhaps the price wasn’t entirely outrageous.
Plus, it was a piece I had chosen with my own eyes from among dozens of carpets. I had also been thinking about wanting a carpet for my living room around that time.
Now I’m trying to convince myself it was a good purchase after all.
(To be continued in Part 2)
