Visit Tozeur - Come to Tunisia

Tozeur 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 its splendid desert oases and magnificent salt lake, the Chott el-Djerid.  

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 very hot. Temperature can reach 45 degrees celsius outside. 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.).

Films

Tozeur was used as a filming location for Mos Eisley and other places in the Star Wars saga. A great part of the movie The English Patient (9 Oscars) with Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas were filmed in Tozeur and around.