Tozeur

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Tozeur ( _ar. توزر) is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. It is the capital of the Tozeur Governorate.

With hundreds of thousands of palm trees, Tozeur is a large oasis. The dates that are exported from Tozeur are very well known. In ancient times, before the advent of motorized vehicles, the oasis was important for the transportation through the Sahara, which took place in caravans. The name of the city in antiquity was Tusuros, it was an important Roman outpost.

In the medina (old city) of Tozeur, one can find traditional architecture, fashion and workmanship. Like elsewhere in Tunisia, the local population is generally very hospitable towards tourists, and there are also many tourist facilities. From Tozeur one can make trips on a camel, explore the Sahara Desert and get to know the Chott el-Djerid, where one can see fata Morgana's.

Architecture

Tozeur has lots of distinctive brick architecture.

Tozeur, and the Jerid region (named after the leaf of the Palm tree), is very famous for its yellow/brownish brick architecture. Fascinating patterns in simple and rich geometric designs form the façades of most buildings in the old city and the new tourist zone. The old town of Ouled El Hwadef is an exquisite example of the local brick work. Mandated by the local government, the old town narrow streets, walls and facades were decorated with bricks resulting is one of the most distinct and beautiful architectural styles of Tunisia. This work took more than 10 years to complete and the result is a must see when one visits the town.

Weather

Although the weather is pleasant most of the year, the summer months can be extreme. Temperature can reach 45^o outside. The average yearly weather is :

The best time to visit the region would be in the fall or the winter, where hotels are not full and the city is the middle of its palm dates harvest. In fact the international festival of oases takes place during this time of the year (Nov/Dec.).

Transport

The city is served by buses, taxis, louage (shared or group taxi), and an international airport with national and international services from London, Paris, Rome and few other European countries (international flight services are mostly during the summer tourism season).

The city has plenty of car rental agencies (AVIS, HERTZ, etc...) where one can rent a car without prior reservation. Visitors are advised to plan ahead especially during the peak tourism season (Summer and Fall)

Within the city limits, there is a reasonable taxi service (24 hrs a day) that is priced reasonably. Taxis can take you anywhere if you do not feel like walking.

Otherwise walking within the city limits, the old city (a must see) to the tourist zone is possible and in fact fun.

Economy

Although still the largest part of the local economy, dates and farming are becoming less appealing to the young, preferring the 'fun' and unstable business of tourism and contact with westerners.

Tourism is heavily developed and promoted, and Tozeur is considered a center of "desert tourism" ( _ar. السياحة الصحراوية). This becomes very evident if one visits the city during the "International Festival of Oases" ( _ar. المهرجان الدولي للواحات بتوزر) in November/December of every year.The government initiated two large scale projects:1) Tapping of deep aquifers by wells, this led to a series of severe problems
Depletion of most natural springs (Tozeur is very famous for these springs, which counted more than 2500 few decades ago)
Abandonment of the traditional irrigation canals. Tozeur's oasis has been irrigated based on an open surface canal system designed in the 1200s by the famous engineer Ibn Chabbat. This traditional irrigation system is currently being replaced by an 'eye sore' system of concrete pipes. Moreover, water, that was traditionally free to farmers, is now being sold to offset the cost of these projects and pipes. It is important to note here, that the traditional system of irrigation canals supported a delicate ecological system of endemic fishes and small animals, most of them either gone now or severely endangered with no protection.

2) The second part of these local projects is the initiation of new (young) oases around town. Very poor planning, corruption, and disregard to local traditions meant a futile effort at best. These oases' productivity is very low and their future highly unstable.This situation is slowly leading to the decay of the old oasis (due to salinity, poor planning, lack of skilled workers, etc...) with productivity plummeting and the health and future of the oases questionable.

The overall region, not only Tozeur, is seeing a large influx of unemployed workers and their families (some of them native to the Tozeur area, but migrated in search of jobs decades earlier), that are migrating from the once rich Phosphate region of Metlaoui, Gafsa, Oum Lerrayess, etc... in hope of work in the Tourism sector. The phosphate mines are no longer productive and the government opted to sell them to European investors, who chose to let go of thousands of workers as the first step to rehabilitating them.
Unfortunately this influx caused problems to Tozeur, where the unemployment rate and crimes skyrocketed.

Overall the region, and Tozeur in particular, is going through a tough time. The region is embracing the very unstable tourism economy and shying away from its traditional agricultural based economy that provided security for centuries. If history is any indication for the region, during the first Gulf War the sector suffered tremendously with a loss of large number of workers and an increase in unmployment. The same happened twice during September 11, 2001 attacks and the current Iraq war.

Banking and Money

The city is served by all Tunisian banks. One can find easily banks, ATMs, and money exchange offices. Most Western money is accepted directly (albeit not legal, one needs to exchange his money first). Most credit cards, like VISA, MASTERCARD, DINERS CLUB, are also honored in hotels, restaurants, and artisans shops.

Famous people

( _ar. أبو القاسم الشابي) (b. Tozeur, February,1909; d. October 9, 1934), is a famous Tunisian poet and known and respected throughout the Arab world for his elegant style and powerful words. The current Tunisian anthem is based on one of his poems.One of his most famous poems is titled "To the tyrants of the world". A famous Tunisian and contemporary singers Latifa Arfaoui sang this poem in support of Palestinian kids killed by Israel under the rule of Ariel Sharon; however, most Arabs would agree that this poem is more fitting to their leaders instead.The following are few lines from this poem:

To the tyrants of the world
To the lovers of the darkness
To the enemies of life...
You ridiculed the pain of the frail people
Your hands covered in their blood
You deformed the charm of existence
And you've grown but seeds of sadness in their land

Wait, don't let the spring, the clearness of the sky and
the shine of the morning light fool you
Because the darkness, the thunder rumble and the blowing of the wind are coming toward you from the horizon
Beware because there is a fire underneath the ash
Who grows thorns will reap wounds
You've taken off heads of people and the flowers of hope; and watered the sand with blood until it's drunk
The blood's river will take you away and you will be burned by the fiery storm.

ألا أيها الظالم المستبد
حبيب الظلام عدو الحياه
سخرت بأنات شعب ضعيف
و كفك مخضوبة من دماه
و سرت تشوه سحر الوجود
و تبذر شوك الاسى في رباه
رويدك لا يخدعك الربيع
و صحو الفضاء و ضوء الصباح
ففي الافق الرحب هول الظلام و قصف الرعود و عصف الرياححذار فتحت الرماد اللهيب
و من يبذر الشوك يجن الجراح
تأمل هنالك انى حصدت رؤوس الورى و زهور الأمل
و رويت بالدم قلب التراب اشربته الدمع حتى ثمل
سيجرفك سيل الدماء
و يأكلك العاصف المشتعل

Abu Yazid Mukhallad ibn Kayrâd(أبو يزيد مخلد بن كيراد), from the Berber Zenata tribe, nicknamed Saheb Al Himar ( _ar. صاحب الحمار)who led a mostly Berber revolution against the Fatimid ruler ( _ar. محمد القائم بأمر الله). The revolution, almost a success, was finally crushed ( _ar. الخليفة المنصور بالله).
Sahib Al Himar was finally caught hiding in a cave. He was ordered executed, skinned and stuffed with cotton. His mutilated body was put on display at the southern main entrance to El Mahdia ( _ar. المهدية), a Tunisian coastal city. Ironically, Saheb-Alhimar started his revolution by implanting his spear in the very same door few years earlier.

Trivia

Tozeur was used as a filming location for Mos Eisley and other places in the Star Wars saga.

External links

* [http://www.lexicorient.com/tunisia/tozeur.htm Lexicon of the Orient article]
* [http://www.tunisia.com/Tunisia/Travel/Tunisia-Travel-Guides/Central-Tunisia/Tozeur Tozeur travel guide]
* [http://www.tawalt.com/letter_display.cfm?lg=_TZ&ID=4121 Arabic Atlas of Islamic History]