Toujane Berber village

Toujane Berber village is located in the south of Tunisia, North Africa. It is known for its well-preserved traditional architecture and historical significance, as it was once an important stop on the trans-Saharan trade routes. Toujane is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors interested in learning about the Berber culture and history.

When I first discovered Toujane, it was 12 years ago. At the end of a long difficult track from Matmata, hidden behind a mountain, a Berber village all dressed in stones that we could not see so much it blends into the ocher landscape, if there were not these few buildings whitewashed.

A village perched in the mountains, clinging to the side of the rock. A village in the shape of a circus, dominating from its 630 meters a deep wadi. A village with stone houses of which nearly 200 are uninhabited.
Toujane, a Berber village where time has stood still.

If the landscapes are grandiose, with a direct view of the sea just 30 km away as the crow flies, life is tough. Harvests depend on capricious rain. Farmland is remote. The water sources, lower than the village, still do not allow connection to the houses.

In the 1970s, many left the village to find work abroad or in new towns, built on the plain, with running water and electricity.

A few years ago, the track became a road, thus opening up this remote village. Since then, a few travelers have ventured there, in transit between the desert and the sea.
Since then, the “Welcome” flowers bloom along the road that crosses the village. Since then, the houses have been adorned with their most beautiful adornment: the Toujane rugs.
Yet, very few take the time to really stop there. However, Toujane deserves to stop there.