Tozeur: the great oasis of the Jerid, its ochre bricks and its palm grove
Capital of the Jerid, Tozeur is Tunisia's most beautiful oasis town: a vast palm grove fed by dozens of springs, an old town with ochre brick façades and, all around, the salt lake and the mountain oases.
- From Djerba
- ≈ 350 km
- Driving time
- ≈ 5 h
- Suggested time
- 2 to 3 days
- Best season
- October → April
West of the Chott el Jerid, Tozeur appears as a green patch in the middle of the desert: a palm grove of about a thousand hectares, hundreds of thousands of palm trees, dozens of springs and an irrigation system regulated in the 13th century by the local mathematician Ibn Chabbat. It is the capital of the Jerid, the "land of palms", and the gateway to the mountain oases and the Star Wars sets.
What to see in Tozeur
- The Ouled el-Hadef quarter: the 14th-century old town, famous for its yellow clay-brick façades laid out in geometric reliefs. Shaded alleys, studded doors, ancient mosques: a style unique in Tunisia.
- The palm grove: on foot, by bike or by horse-drawn carriage, between the irrigation channels, the three-tiered gardens (palms, fruit trees, vegetables) and the small springs.
- The Dar Cherait museum: in a traditional house, scenes of life in the old days, costumes and jewellery of the Jerid.
- The Belvedere: rocks on the edge of town, from where the sunset embraces the palm grove and the chott.
- The market: deglet nour dates, spices, carpets and palm-leaf basketry.
Around Tozeur
Tozeur is a base for a full day of excursions: the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides to the north-west (waterfalls, canyons, abandoned old villages), Nefta and the Mos Espa site to the west (the Star Wars set planted in the dunes), and the great salt lake of the Chott el Jerid, which you cross when arriving from Douz.
A little history
A caravan city since antiquity (the Romans called it Thusuros), Tozeur prospered thanks to trans-Saharan trade and to its dates, exported from the Middle Ages onwards. Its sun-baked brick houses, mosques and zawiyas bear witness to a rich and learned city: the poet Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi, author of the national anthem, was born here in 1909.
Practical information
- From Djerba: about 350 km, a 5-hour drive via Gabès and Kebili or via Douz. Our tours do the outward leg in one day with stops (Matmata, Douz, the chott).
- Best season: October to April. The date harvest takes place in October-November; the Oasis Festival is usually held in December.
- Accommodation: hotels in the tourist zone or guesthouses in the palm grove, depending on the package chosen.
