The city of Tozeur

The city of Tozeur is a Tunisian city on the borders of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, the largest of the five oases of the Jerid. Gradually built around its palm grove, it is the capital of the governorate of the same name.

The city of Tozeur is located northwest of Chott el-Jérid, near the Algerian border, renowned for its huge palm grove, its succulent dates and the beauty of the architecture of its houses and mosques in bricks baked in the sun, it is one of the jewels of southern Tunisia.

Tozeur is 450 kilometers southwest of Tunis. A city with an important religious past, it welcomes many scholars. Ibn Chabbat bequeathed him the irrigation system of the palm groves, and the poet Abou el Kacem Chebbi composed his famous Ela Toghat Al Alaam there, in the middle of the French protectorate. The contemporary topography of Tozeur pays homage to them, as well as to the marabouts.

The city experienced significant demographic growth, coupled with considerable expansion, during the second half of the 20th century, with the sedentarization of the Bedouins. It goes in a few decades from a population of about 11,000 inhabitants to 37,365 inhabitants, according to the 2014 census.

The architecture of its built heritage, in particular that of its medina characterized by raised brick patterns, is unique in Tunisia, along with that of the neighboring town of Nefta.

Agriculture, and in particular the monoculture of dates of the Deglet Nour variety, is its main resource, representing a third of Tunisian date production. Its brickyard is still in operation, to meet the needs of many construction sites. Since the 1990s.

This development is based, among other things, on the presence of an international airport and numerous hotels, on the promotion of heritage and filming locations, and on the organization of the International Oasis Festival.

Known for the superior quality of its dates and mainly the “deglet ennour” variety, fingers of light, with transparent and succulent flesh, Tozeur essentially lives off its oasis economy: agriculture remains the main activity of the city. The oasis of Tozeur has more than three million palm trees, including 400,000 in the city, but also 200 springs. It is surrounded by dunes and a stone desert.

The history of Tozeur dates back to the third millennium BC. It was Numidian, Christian, then Muslim. The population is now predominantly Arab, although the Berber tradition still exists.

Tozeur is marked by a strong cultural tradition. Many contemporary works are exhibited at the Planet Oasis cultural center. The city has many museums and an entertainment center telling the story of the Thousand and One Nights.

Tozeur has a diversified tourist infrastructure: luxury hotels, camps, guest houses, golf course, an internationally renowned museum Dar Chraït, a huge palm grove, mountain oases and waterfalls. It is the starting point for many excursions: Nefta, Chott el-Djérid and its mirages, the mountain oases of the eastern Atlas or the Ong Jmel region where George Lucas’ Star Wars trilogy was filmed, but also the film The English Patient, among the most famous.