TOZEUR is a major town and tourist centre in Tunisia. It is also one of the country’s most beautiful oasesand contains some 3,000 palmtrees as well as figand pomegranate trees and banana groves.The town is also known for growingthe best dates in Tunisia.They are translucent, sweetand juicy; nearbyNefta is also famous for them.
The oldest part oftown is Ouled el-Hadef, which dates from the 14th century and has adistinctive high wallmade of hand made bricks. The yellow stones of Ouled el-Hadef’s houses are arranged so that they form Koranic verses and floral motifs.On the out skirts of Tozeur is a private museum, DarCheraït, which is devoted to southern Tunisia’s history and everyday life.
A separate section of themuseum transports visitors to the realm of the Thousandand One Nights. This collection of anonymous tales written over several centuries includes traces of Indian,Persian, Egyptian, Greek,Mesopotamian and Arab influences. In the Arabian Nights grotto visitors canmeet, among others, Ali Baba, Sinbad the Sailor and Scheherazade. The folk talesare accompanied bydescriptions of everyday Tunisian life.A separatemuseum on Ruede Kairouan isdevoted to localtraditions and includescostumes usedin circumcisionceremonies and acollection of door knockers that produce a variety ofsounds (making it possible toidentify the caller).Tozeur also has a botanicalgarden and a zoo. The latterprovides a rare chance to see some desert wildlife.Planet Oasis, a vast cultural centre, opened near Tozeur in2001. Its huge stage, set onthe Saharan sand, has state-ofthe-art laser effects toaccompany musical showsand other entertainment. The centre also claims “the largest Berber tent in the world”.