Djerba Island

Djerba is justly famous for its beautiful beaches and is perfect for relaxing by the sea plus a bit of local sightseeing at the end of your holiday. The island has an ancient past and was a one-time base for the infamous Corsairs Barbarossa and Dragut pirates. 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 in Djerba since the days of Nebuchadnezzar and his deportation of the Jews of Jerusalem to exile in Babylon and elsewhere in 587 BC. Testament to this is the Ghriba synagogue, 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 for sale. The island has fields of olive trees, swaying date palms, and 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. Djerba Explore is a further attraction of the island, a well-presented modern complex combining the stunning Lalla Hadria Museum of Islamic Art with a Crocodile park and examples of traditional Djerban architecture.