Tozeur, Tunisia

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for the products of the nomads of the surrounding area. Only the trade in dates is of more than local importance; the top quality deglat en nour ("fingers of light") dates in particular are mainly exported.

Typical local craft products are carpets, silk and woolen fabrics, clothing, leather articles and jewelry.

In recent years, as in other oases, there has been a considerable development of tourism. New hotels are being built and new roads laid out.

History

The history of Tozeur goes back a long way. Situated between the desert and the steppe country, it must have been from time immemorial an important staging-point on the caravan route from the Sahara to the northeastern Mediterranean coast. The town is first mentioned in Roman times, together with other oases in the Djerid, under the name of Thusuros, as an important bastion in the defense of the southern frontier of the province of Africa. Other strong points on this line were Nepte (Nefta), Aquae (El Hamma) and Thigae (Kriz). In Christian times Thusuros became an important center, the see of a bishop, as we know from a letter written by St Augustine to the bishop of Thusuros and other named bishops. There are, however, no remains of the Christian period in Tozeur. During the period of Vandal rule (fifth century onwards) many Christians were martyred here. The Byzantines, who gained control of the area in the sixth century after brief but violent encounters with the local Berber tribes, re-established the bishopric and, like the Romans before them, built a fortress to defend their southern frontier against the desert nomads.

In the middle of the seventh century the town was taken by the Arabs and after a long, hard struggle was Islamised. Under Arab rule Tozeur enjoyed a long period of peace during which, as the "gateway to the desert", it developed into an important staging-point on the caravan routes. The town prospered, and a number of well known Koranic schools (medersas) were established here. The caravans also brought many black slaves to Tozeur, which became an important slave market. Many of the town's present-day inhabitants are the descendants of black slaves (the Haratin).

The heyday of the town was in the 14th century, when it is believed to have had three times its present population. Its wealth, however, made it the target of increasingly frequent raids by the nomads and of oppressive taxation by the Ottoman authorities who now controlled Tunisia. As a result the economic decline of the town began in the 15th century, and in the following century it was visited by a devastating epidemic of cholera in which half the population died. Thus when Tozeur was taken by the French in 1881 without a fight it was an insignificant little oasis town. Thereafter it was developed on modern, European lines, though retaining its traditional style of brick architecture.

Access

Tozeur lies on the northwest side of the Chott el Djerid, 93km/58mi southwest of Gafsa, 89km/55mi west of Kebili, 23km/14mi northeast of Nefta and only 58km/36mi from the Algerian frontier. From the airport, 6km/4mi southwest on GP 3, there are weekly flights to Tunis and Paris. There are also charter flights to Tozeur during the holiday season. The railway station, to the west of Avenue de la République (the road to Gafsa), is the terminus of the line from Tunis via Sousse and Sfax. From the bus station, at the intersection of Avenue Habib Bourguiba and Rue de la Liberté, there are regular services to Tunis, Gafsa, Kebili, Nefta, Douz and Hazaoua, the most westerly town in Tunisia, situated on the frontier with Algeria.

Oasis Festival

The Oasis Festival is held at the end of November and beginning of December, with a program which includes parades, folk dances and camel races.