Where to Travel in TUNISIA

Djerba is justly famous for its wonderful beaches and is a perfect for relaxing by the sea at the end of your holiday with a little sightseeing. The island has an ancient past and was a onetime base for the infamous Corsairs Barbarossa and Dragut. Academics have also cited Djerba as being one of the possible locations of the mythical ‘Land of the Lotus Eaters’ of Homer’s Odyssey. What is perhaps less well known and more curious is that the island is home to one of the oldest of the world’s Jewish diasporas. A Jewish presence is thought to have existed on Djerba since the days of Nebuchadnezzar and the exile from Babylon in 587 BC. Testament to this is the Ghriba synagogue which was rebuilt in the 1920s but stands on the ancient site where tradition claims a Holy Stone fell miraculously from the sky. Nearby, at Guellala, the town’s streets are piled high with colourful decorated ceramics all for sale. Throughout the island there are fields of olive trees and swaying date palms, as well as pretty whitewashed villages and mosques with their characteristic truncated minarets. Djerba’s capital Houmt Souk is an attractive sleepy market town noted for its silversmiths, daily fish auctions, and medieval Spanish castle. At further attraction of the island is Djerba Explore, a well presented modern complex combining the stunning Lallia Hadria Museum of Islamic Art with a Crocodile park and examples of traditional Djerban architecture.