Things to see and do Tozeur

A must-see! You are here in an oasis and not a palm grove. The latter is a monoculture of palm trees, while in the oases the cultures are varied. Here it is the culture with three stages: agriculture on the ground, a second stage of fruit trees and finally the palm trees. Huge, the oasis of Tozeur has more than 250 000 palm trees, irrigated by seguias, a network of canals fed by two hundred sources. This irrigation system developed in the 13th century by the engineer Ibn Shabbat allows to calculate the water needs according to the trees and their altitude. The place is enchanting, but given its size, the visit on foot may seem tiring. One can opt for a bicycle or a carriage ride. We enter the oasis by a small road perpendicular to the street Abou-El-Kassel or to the street Ech-Chabbi. We mark a first stop at the necessary Eden Palm which allows to understand everything about the date palm, prodigal tree, its history and its ecosystem. Continuing the walk, we pass a hamlet before arriving at the gardens of Paradise. You will be able to contemplate the whole oasis by following a track that crosses the palm grove and leads you to the Belvedere, a rocky complex west of the city. After climbing a few steps carved in the rock, you will have access to a more global panorama of Tozeur: the yellow sand of the city, the white of the chott, the green of the palm grove... You will be able to see the Sahara. The luckiest ones will even sleep in the heart of the oasis!

This amazing complex brings together a museum, a medina of the Thousand and A Nights and the Dar Zamen with its sounds and sounds, a gallery that revives scenes of Tunisian life, contemporary or old, festive or daily. The Thousand and One Nights in the Medina show the Diamond Valley, Ali Baba and the forty thieves. You then moved to an extraordinary world, from the belly of the cobra to the medina of Baghdad, frightening caves in the palace of the Sultan. We emerge dazzled, a little lost after being dragged back in childhood and had a full eye. The period costumes worn by the museum's staff bring a further note of truth to these reconstructions, which go through Bedouin tents and traditional Turkish cuisine. For more charm and excitement, it is advisable to visit the museum at night. In the lobby there is a small courtyard and a nice café. In another cafe, on the floor overlooking the site, you can enjoy a mint tea in a fairytale setting. Mr. Cheraït (Maire Mayor) recently opened a new space by condemning the museum's restaurant. The sound and light Show Dar Zamen (entrance 6 DT) reproduces the period dwellings of the zone and the Ksours De, it evokes 3 000 years of country history, in the Disney way!

Tozeur's Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions is a charming little museum housed in a former marabout. In these few rooms, Souad and her husband welcome you with all their heart, as if they were receiving friends. The museum is small, but very cute. The bridal room is particularly pretty, and the old kitchen full of traditional objects. Souad knows Tozeur and its history inside out, and is sure to enliven your visit with songs and poems.

The desert Zoo hosts all kinds of desert animals: scorpions, snakes, fennecs, gazelles, kebab, lions and the outstanding camel drinker of Coca-Cola! You can reach it by turning left on the road of the tourist area, in the direction of the restaurant Le Petit Prince. The guided tour begins with the tropical garden, where one walks among apricot, palm trees, banana trees, bougainvilleas and jasmines, continues through the animal park and ends with the inevitable souvenir shop.

Chak-Wak is an entertainment park created in 2006. It spreads over 5 hectares in the heart of the palm grove and is organized around the theme of the history of humanity with many activities on site. Among the amenities: the café, the restaurant, the space reserved for families. Musical evenings are also organized regularly. The museology is rather dated and the site is unfortunately poorly maintained. But the setting among the palm trees is still beautiful and children may find it interesting.

The mosque of Bled el-Hadhar (or Blad El Hadhar) is built on Roman vestiges which were used as a basis for the construction of the minaret, it was enlarged in the twelfth century, its official date of construction was set at 1193. Although smaller in size, its shape resembles the Okba Mosque in Kairouan. Its courtyard is framed by four galleries. A median nave shares the prayer room, going from the entrance to the mihrab.

The medina of Tozeur is one of the most beautiful in Tunisia. Called Ouled el-Hadef district, it dates in places from the XIVth century. You enter here in a tangle of alleys with vaulted walls and built with these superb sand-colored bricks. The medina of Tozeur is entirely built with these bricks of clay moulded with the hand and whose geometrical reasons in relief on the frontages of the houses symbolize the richness of the owner. These symbols would have a magic-religious significance. Take time to stroll in the coolness of the streets. Here you come across a small square once used to "park" dromedaries, with superb carved doors, there you stop in a bortal, these long vestibules with date palm ceilings that keep the coolness perfectly. Further on you recognize one of the many mosques, identifiable by the green door. You also have fun finding the Corinthian capitals and Roman columns from the surrounding ancient sites. Dar El Hadef is the first house of Tozeur. Today it is open to the public and its visit allows you to understand a little better the history of the medina. It is not perfectly maintained and it is a pity. Here and sometimes elsewhere, the houses of the medina of Tozeur are neither perfectly maintained nor completely renovated. The medina is also quite dirty in places. Let's hope that the classification in progress to be included in the Unesco world heritage will make this architectural jewel better preserved!

Abou el-Kacem Chebbi, born in 1909 in Tozeur and died on October 9, 1934 in Tunis, is a Tunisian poet considered by some as the national poet of the country. Despite his early death, due to poor health, he published seven volumes of poetry, some of whose lines are now part of the national anthem of Tunisia. In this pleasant mausoleum paved with colorful mosaics, you will learn more about his life and read some of his poems in Arabic, but also in French.

The place to understand everything about the date palm and the territory of Tozeur! Eden Palm is a unique and innovative concept: the intelligent discovery of the universe of the date palm and the date. The visit is in three parts: an exhibition, a visit of the palm grove, and the discovery of the laboratory. On the exhibition side, you will discover all that links men to date palms, in the palm grove you will test your knowledge in situ and finally in the laboratory you will discover all that can be created around the date. A warmly recommended visit!