the Great South, a festival of encounters
Photographic reportage by Jean-Pierre DEGAS / hemis.fr
Feature
Tunisia :
“Marhaben bikoum!�, "Welcome to you". According to the Koran, a stranger is considered an envoy of god. This verse takes all its significance in the southern part of Tunisia. As soon has you have set foot in Tozeur, you will not be able to turn down the offer of a mint tea without hurting the hospitable feelings of your new found friend. In the palm grove with its 250 000 date palms, the gatherers will kindly hand out to you the Deglet Nour, the best date of the area. The adventurer who thinks of south Tunisia as an endless sand sea is mistaken. Tozeur is the start of a trip to Chebika and Tamerza, two mountain oasis not far away from Mides watch tower and its waterfalls nicknamed the small Colorado by the locals. Once passed the dry lake of Chott El Jerid, a least one overnight in a bivouac is necessary in the Nefta desert. You can then eat gargoulette lamb cooked in a sealed earthenware pot buried in ashes of the sand dune. Also stop to drink coffee with the inhabitants of the underground houses of Matmata or simply greet the guards of Ksar Ouled Soltane, a granary of more than 300 lofts. And to fully grasp all the magic of the desert, a stopover at Douz is a must. On Thursdays which is market day, the nomads come to buy or sell goats, sheeps and dromedaries. And at the end of December during the Sahara festival, the Tuareg all wander about with their ceremonial clothes... Text : Marie-France PARRA
HEMIS_301401 : Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, sand dunes of the Grand Erg, entrance gate of the desert for meharees to Ksar Ghilane
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Chebika, mountain oasis, Marabout (a Saint's shrine) overlooking the Chott El Jerid
Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Ksar Ouled Soltane, former forteress and its 400 Ghorfas
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Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Chenini, cave-dweller Berber village, fortified citadel overlooked by a Ksar
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, Tuaregs on their Mehari dromedaries
HEMIS_356687 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, riders with the Tunisian flag
HEMIS_356688 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, every year the Desert Festival gathers musicians and dancers for a week of Fantasia and Berber tradition
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Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, parade of the riders before the fantasia
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, according to ancestral customs, reading of the koran and sparring match in the desert
HEMIS_356675 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, cooking lamb stew in the desert
HEMIS_301362 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Berber camp, nomad woman preparing the bread and the tea
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, tea ceremonial under Berber tent
Tunisia, Gabes Governorate, region of Djebel Dahar Mountain range, Matmata, Berber village, troglodytic house
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur Palm grove, detail of a Marabout (a Saint's shrine)
Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Chenini, cave-dweller Berber village, fortified citadel overlooked by a Ksar
HEMIS_356703 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Chebika, mountain oasis
HEMIS_356700 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Sidi Bouhel Cave, where many scenes of The English Patient and Star Wars films were filmed
HEMIS_356676 : Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Ksar Ouled Soltane, old fortress with 400 ghorfas (graneries) and guards
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Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Ksar Ouled Soltane, guards of the old fortress of the desert
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Mides Gorges, at 8 km from Tamerza nearby the Algerian border, the scenes of The English Patient and Star Wars films were shot here
HEMIS_301365 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Mides Gorges, near Tamerza, not far from the border with Algeria, hikkers
HEMIS_301364 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, traditional bivouac
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, tourists wearing the Tagelmust to protect their face against the sun and sand
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, bivouac and campfire in Nefta Dunes
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, bivouac and campfire in the former settings of Stars Wars
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, oriental pastries with honey and almond for tea time
HEMIS_356685 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, the bing central market, saffron, harissa (local hot chili sauce) and caraway bags essentials for the Tunisian cooking
HEMIS_356683 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Deglet Nour dates
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, setting of the Georges Lucas'Star Wars
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tamerza Road, kilometre marker indicating the capital town of the desert
HEMIS_356681 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, White Mehari dromedary
HEMIS_301380 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, camels race, tuaregs riding white Meharis, pure blood camel
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Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, Tuaregs on their Mehari dromedaries
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, Purebred Arabian horse, here for a traditional Fantasia
HEMIS_356692 : Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, every year the Desert Festival gathers musicians and dancers for a week of Fantasia and Berber tradition
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Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, young dancers wearing traditional clothes
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, sand dunes of the Grand Erg, datte palms in direction of the oasis of Ksar Ghilane
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Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, every year the Desert Festival gathers musicians and dancers for a week of Fantasia and Berber tradition
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, tuareg wearing blue indigo turban
HEMIS_356693 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, every year the Desert Festival gathers musicians and dancers for a week of Fantasia and Berber tradition
HEMIS_301378 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, tuaregs riding camels
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, typical houses made with briquettes in the medina
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, camel caravan coming from Ksar Ghilane in the desert
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tamerza, mountain oasis at the bottom of Atlas Mountain range, palm grove
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Mides Gorges, hikers nearby the Algerian border, in the place where the Georges Lucas'Star Wars film was shot
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Tunisia, Gafsa Governorate, Metlaoui, touristic train, the Red lizard in the Selja Gorges
Tunisia, Gabes Governorate, region of Djebel Dahar Mountain range, Matmata, Berber village, troglodytic house, Houmi Fatma, the oldest person and the traditions keeper in front of her house
HEMIS_301391 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, downtown, archways with arts crafts shops
HEMIS_301404 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, palm grove, datte harvest between October and January
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Tamerza Palace luxury hotel, waiter with a tea tray passing through a carved door
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Sofitel Hotel, stone mortar and pestle for making couscous
HEMIS_356674 : Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Nefta, Lareguett Dunes, Bedouin people in front of the place where the Georges Lucas'Star Wars film was shot
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Tunisia, Tataouine Governorate, Tataouine, Gargoulette lamb, cooked in an earth jar, speciality of Tunisian desert
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Sofitel Palm Beach Hotel, tea ceremonial and hookah smoker
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, costumes parade on Kacem Chebbi Avenue for the Sahara Festival
Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, the bing central market, saffron, harissa (local hot chili sauce) and caraway bags essentials for the Tunisian cooking
HEMIS_356709 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, parade of women with traditional outfits
HEMIS_356710 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, the souk grocers and colourful shops
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Avenue Bourguiba, horse-drawn carriage in front of the souvenirs shops
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Avenue Bourguiba, handicraft and carpet shops
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Avenue Bourguiba, handicraft and souvenirs shops
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Avenue Bourguiba, the downtown archways with handicraft shops, the old town minaret in the background
HEMIS_301407 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, the Medina, Bourguiba Avenue, central arterial street and minaret of the old city
HEMIS_356716 Tunisia, Kebili Governorate, Douz, Desert Festival, Berber nomad
HEMIS_301388 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Dar Cherait Hotel
HEMIS_366305 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Dar Cherait Hotel
HEMIS_301389 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Dar Cherait Hotel
HEMIS_366310 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Dar Cherait Hotel
HEMIS_301408 : Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Mides, henna hand tattoo
HEMIS_366306 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, entry of Dar Cherait Hotel
HEMIS_366308 Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tamerza, Tamerza Palace Hotel, swimming pool
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Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, Sofitel Palm Beach Hotel, tea ceremonial and hookah smoker
Tunisia, Tozeur Governorate, Tozeur, traditional architecture of the Sofitel Palm Beach Hotel