The museum of popular arts and traditions of Djerba

The museum of popular arts and traditions of Djerba wants to be the image of the island traditions and the particularities of the Jerbians, secular inhabitants of a mythical and mythological island, the island of “Lotophages”.

This museum combines traditional objects divided by theme, as well as models, reproductions of scenes on a real scale and posters, allowing the Jerbians to relive the daily experience of hard work up to the festive aspects through the passion and the magic of craftsmanship.

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions of Houmt Souk is worth a visit as much for its collections of costumes, jewelry, pottery, as for the setting that houses them.

Indeed, it is installed in an old zaouia, a monumental complex built around a tomb and composed of several rooms, which still has a remarkable decoration.

Located at the exit of the city, towards the beach, this zaouia has been converted into a superb museum of manual arts. Relatively rich, it offers a vision of the artisanal past of Djerba in its various aspects: a collection of traditional costumes, Koranic texts and religious boxes, typical jewelry of local know-how, various earthen and carved wooden objects, as well as an interesting exhibition of carpets.

The museum was originally established within the zaouïa of Sidi Zitouni. This mausoleum, which dates back to the 12th century, was considerably enlarged in the 18th century by the will of the caïd-governor of Djerba, Hmida Ben Ayed, in order to honor the sages Sidi Zitouni or Abou-Baker Ezzitouni (Sunni theologian propagator of the Malikite rite) and Sidi Love.

The funeral room dates back to this period while the other room, called kobbet el khyel (“dome of the ghost” due to a popular legend), is said to be the oldest in the mausoleum.

The museum has local handicrafts as well as models to relate different aspects of life in Djerba.

The museum tour is organized around several thematic rooms, namely agriculture, fishing, pottery, weaving and goldsmithing, while illustrating the rites and traditions of the inhabitants of the island through a room dedicated to marriage.

This museum thus makes it possible to discover the folkloric wealth of the island, its traditions and its economy through partitioned jewelry inlaid with colored glass, openwork pottery lamps, looms, chests, traditional costumes of various groups social and ethnic groups, copies of the Koran and Koran chests, kitchen utensils, a potter’s workshop, pottery of various sizes, natural and enamelled, large jars6,7, chiseled stucco or even old tiles in ceramic

The Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions of Djerba was inaugurated in the 1970s and occupies the space of the mausoleum. Following the expansion and rehabilitation of the museum decided in the 2000s, the new museum was inaugurated under its current name on December 17, 2008 and the mausoleum is now only part of a larger complex.

There are also reconstructed potter’s and weaver’s workshops, with craftsmen at work.

The museum has a total area of 5100 m2 and includes:

– A permanent exhibition spanning 720 m2.
– A temporary exhibition hall of 127m2.
– A conference room.
– An entertainment area.
– An interpretation center installed in the Zaouia of Sidi Zitouni.

Visiting times

Winter: 09.00 – 16.30
summer: 09.00 – 19.00
Ramadan month: 09.00 – 17.00