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Written by Gillian
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![]() ![]()  | Many people visit Douz in central Tunisia to start their Saharan Safari. Camel trekking and sand dune adventures can all be booked from here. The 3-day Sahara Festival is a great introduction to the largest desert in the world. This annual festival takes place each November in the remote town of Douz. This town is one of the largest oasis settlements in Tunisia with around 12,000 residents, but palm trees still outnumber the locals by around 25 to 1! However, that all changes when the International Festival of the Sahara comes to town. December 27 to 30, 2009 |
This annual event began as a celebration of the traditional cultures and arts of the desert people. A visit to Douz is like an ‘other world’ experience at any time of year. Visions of men in white robes come and go in the swirling dust clouds. The town is quite ramshackle, consisting of a collection of brick and mud buildings, but the experiences are quite unmatched. Where else can you see the ancient Berber people cooking over a smoky fire, their lined faces decorated with tattoos? And where else can you eat such delicious stuffed breads, known to outsiders as Berber pizzas? The most realistic looking buildings here turn out to be film sets – another desert mirage! Getting a good seat at the arena during the Sahara Festival involves arriving early and sitting for hours in the dry desert heat, but it is worth it. Vibrantly-costumed performers erupt into the limelight to do ever-more daring tricks. Belly dancers climb ladders balancing an impossible number of clay water jars; young girls perform ‘hair dances’ with their long tresses and local turbaned performers execute daring balancing acts on horseback. Horse racing, camel fights and rabbit chases leave everyone laughing and noisily applauding the winners. Then, in complete contrast, the enactment of a tender Tunisian wedding shows off all the traditional finery of this historic ceremony.
All these performances have a serious side too. They help keep alive the ancient traditions, heritage and skills of the desert people as they struggle with the harshness of desert life, so different from our own pampered existence. |
