The region around Chott el Djerid

Chott el Djerid

The Chott el Djerid is the largest salt pan in the Sahara. Together with the nearby Chott el Fedjadj and Sebkhet el Hamma it has a surface area of 7,700 km² and stretches some 200km, from the Algerian border in the west to almost the Mediterranean in the east. The lake is fed by water carrying salts flushed out of the mountains in the north. The extreme climatic conditions (annual rainfall of 10cm and high temperatures of up to 50° C) cause the water to evaporate and the salts to crystallise into a dry crust covering a thick mud layer. During summer, the Chott dries into a salt flat, while in winter and early in the year, rain causes large sections of the Chott to flood or silt up. Mirages (Fata Morgana) often occur under the strong midday sun and particularly in the summer.

Tozeur

Tozeur lies to the northwest of the lake and has 32,400 inhabitants. A notable feature of the town is its clay brick architecture which is characteristic of this part of Tunisia. Examples of its use can be found in modern buildings as well as in the narrow alleys and covered passageways of the old town. Tozeur was most notably used as the backdrop in the film "The English Patient".

Douz

Douz lies south of the Chott el Djerid and has some 31,000 inhabitants. Its location on the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental, the second largest uninterrupted sea of dunes in the desert, has made it known as the "Gateway to the Sahara". Douz and the surrounding area is the centre of the now semi-nomadic Mrazig tribe, claimed to be descendants of the Banu Hilal confederation that Arabised the region in the 11th century. Douz was also an important stop on the trans-Saharan caravan route. Every Thursday, nomads and local residents flock to the town centre which hosts the largest weekly market in southern Tunisia.