The most visited of the oasis villages is Chenini du Gabès (4km/2.5mi west of Gabès), which is famed for its beautiful basketwork. It is reached by leaving Gabès on the Sfax road, turning left just before the bridge over the Oued Gabès and thereafter following the signposts. On the outskirts of Chenini we come to the so-called Barrage Romain, a
storage reservoir which regulates the flow of the Oued Gabès. There is believed to have been a dam here in Roman times, and this may have yielded the large blocks of dressed stone used in the present dam. Here too is a small zoo of desert animals, including gazelles, crocodiles and various species of birds. Above the reservoir, easily reached on foot, is the Chela Club Hotel, with a fine view from the plateau over the treetops of the oasis.