The coastal city, Sousse, is Tunisia's third largest city in and is known as the 'Pearl of the Sahel.' Approximately 140 km south of Tunis this city has an extensive history dating back to approximately 800 BC. Sousse is a wonderful base from which to travel to other surrounding cities and sites and the city itself is also worth exploring. The medina 'old city' is a labyrinth winding streets, shops, and a mosque dating back to 850 AD. Also one can visit the Ribat, or fortress, and Christian catacombs that at one time was home to 15,000 graves stretching over about 5 km. Currently, only about 100 meters of this space are open to the public, but these catacombs help paint and interesting picture of the Christian history in this land. Also, be sure not to miss a beautiful walk along the beach.