Despite the inclement weather, crowds fill the yard at the Moncef Bay market in the Tunisian capital. The bodies of brokers, buyers and curious shoppers form a human umbrella, shielding the unusual merchandise from the heavy rain. While the wall of people conceals the goods for sale this Sunday morning, the noise gives the secret away.

The Moncef Bay market in Tunis sells dogs.

Today, purebred Rottweiler Laica is the star attraction. Her owners hope to sell her for 2,000 dinars.

Karim wears clothes too elegant for a crowded open market. He can clearly afford the asking price for the large dog.

"I offered 1,700 dinars, and I think it’s a good deal," he tells Magharebia. "Although it's true that Laica is very intelligent and good looking, she's old."

Tunisia's dog trade has prospered in the last few years, expanding from breeders serving the domestic market to import/export operators. Professional brokers obtain dogs less than 4 weeks old from Europe and Russia and export them to neighbouring Maghreb countries.

Moncef merchant Monther Ben Milad's customers are divided among dog lovers who buy and raise their own purebreds and professional traders who re-sell the dogs he provides.

"My best clients are Algerians, followed by Libyans, who have entered the market recently, especially young people who are crazy about fighter dogs like the Pit Bull," he says.

The Pit Bull is banned in the Maghreb, but that hasn't stopped motivated buyers, says Khaled, who refused to give his full name. "In spite of the fact that Pit Bull dogs are not allowed to be imported, there are people who can smuggle them in without any problems, especially if the dog is very young," he explains. "At that time, you cannot differentiate between it and a Boxer."

A luxury coach heading in the direction of a remote, picturesque village in Tunisia is not an unusual sight.

But the bus on its way to Ain Ek Misha is not in the business of moving tourists about - its purpose is to educate rather than transport.

This bus, like many others, has been transformed into a mobile internet centre, and it travels around Tunisia teaching students of all ages how to log on, surf the net, and obtain information electronically that can help them in their studies and in finding jobs.