Guellala Attractions

11km/7mi south of Er Riadh, near the south coast, lies the village of Guellala, the pottery center of the island. Ancient Haribus (a name derived from heres, a jar) was famed for its pottery, which was dispatched all over the Sahara; and the main street of the present-day village is still lined with potters' shops offering their wares to tourists. There are said to be some 450 potters in this scattered village, and it is well worth visiting at least one of their workshops. The traditional products of the Guellala potters are unglazed storage jars modeled on the ancient amphora. These can still be seen, but the main output now consists of items designed to appeal to tourists, with a predominance of painted pottery. The clay used by the potters is excavated from shafts up to 80m/260ft deep, dried out for two or three days and then broken up and mixed with water (fresh water for red pottery, salt water for white). The pottery is left to dry for 60 days and is then fired for four days in semi-underground kilns, in which it remains for another ten days to cool gradually.