Tunisia Guide
The Jerid
Rich in the phosphates which play a major role in Tunisia's economy, the Jerid – the parched terrain spreading west from Gabès all the way to the Algerian frontier – is an arid land of bare pink hills punctuated only by mining towns and sporadic oasis-villages built around springs and deep gorges. The oasis at Tozeur, a popular tourist resort, and the quieter neighbouring oasis of Nefta are folds of luxuriance at the edge of the Chott, a bizarre salt flat. Across it, Kebili and Douz, the two main towns of the region called the Nefzaoua, offer access to the vastness of the desert.
Highlights
1 Tamerza A picturesque abandoned village with three marabouts, adjoining an oasis, a gorge and two waterfalls.
2 Ouled el Hadef quarter, Tozeur Navigate palm-roofed tunnels and admire traditional brickwork in a district that seems barely to have changed since the fourteenth century.
3 Dar Cheraït Museum, Tozeur Three exhibitions, all completely tacky and strictly for tourists, but fun nonetheless.
4 Nefta This sleepy town is full of Sufi shrines and labyrinthine alleys, with a huge oasis gouged into its centre.
5 The Chott el Jerid An enormous salt lake, usually dry and encrusted in crystals.