Douz

Douz (Arabic: دوز dūzⓘ) is a town in the Kebili Governorate in the south of Tunisia, known as the "gateway to the Sahara."[1] By road it is located 31 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Blidet, 125 kilometres (78 mi) southeast of Tozeur, and 475 kilometres (295 mi) south of the Tunisian capital of Tunis.[2]

Not to be confused with Douze, a river in France.
Douz
Commune and town
Douz during the Festival of the Sahara, 2010
Douz during the Festival of the Sahara, 2010
Douz is located in Tunisia
Douz
Douz
Location in Tunisia
Coordinates: 33°27′N 9°1′E
Country Tunisia
GovernorateKebili Governorate
Population
 (2014)
 • Total38,537
Time zoneUTC1 (CET)

History

It has been called the "ultimate palm oasis", because it has over 500,000 palm trees in the area, and it is a major producer of "diglat noor" dates.[3] In previous times it was an important stop on the trans-Saharan caravan routes. Today, it is a destination for tourists who are interested in seeing the desert, and a starting point for desert treks by camel, motorcycle, or four-wheel-drive vehicle.[3][1][4]

A donkey and its cart at the desert oasis of Douz, 2006

Culture

Every year Douz hosts the International Festival of the Sahara, a four-day celebration of traditional desert culture. The festival, usually held in November or December, features traditional music and dancing, poetry readings, camel wrestling, and racing of horses and salugis.[5] Douz is home to the Museum of the Sahara, which showcases displays on traditional nomadic desert culture of the Mrazig people who now mostly live a settled life in the town.[5][6]

Demography

The majority of inhabitants of Douz are from Arab descent (Banu Sulaym)[7] Douz is the home of Mrazig people.

  • A woman in red traditional clothing on the market, Douz 1997
    A woman in red traditional clothing on the market, Douz 1997
  • Douz street view with motocyclist, 1997
    Douz street view with motocyclist, 1997
  • Three dromedaries, Douz, 1997
    Three dromedaries, Douz, 1997
  • Date palmes with dates in plastic for protection, Douz 1997
    Date palmes with dates in plastic for protection, Douz 1997
  • Dromedaries at a market, Douz, 1997
    Dromedaries at a market, Douz, 1997
  • "Hôpital de Douz", Douz Hospital, 2007
    "Hôpital de Douz", Douz Hospital, 2007
  • Harvested dates waiting for further processing, 2016
    Harvested dates waiting for further processing, 2016
  • Donkey cart, 2016
    Donkey cart, 2016

References
  1. Trillo, Richard; Gregg, Emma (1 April 2011). The Rough Guide to First-Time Africa. Rough Guides Limited. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-84836-481-3. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  2. Google (28 January 2013). "Douz" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  3. McCloskey, McCloskey Joseph (14 October 2009). Memoirs of a Biker: Traveling the Long Road. Trafford Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-4251-1021-5. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  4. Hureau, Jean (June 1977). Tunisia today. Éditions J.A. p. 87. ISBN 9782852580527. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  5. Fabbri, G. Magi, P.; Fabbri, Patrizia (20 January 2008). Art and History: Tunisia. Casa Editrice Bonechi. p. 103. ISBN 978-88-476-2177-0. Retrieved 28 January 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Unesco field mission reports on Muslim countries: an annotated bibliography from 1947-1991. Vikas Pub. House. 1995. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7069-9860-3. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  7. Anagnostou, Paolo; Dominici, Valentina; Battaggia, Cinzia; Boukhchim, Nouri; Ben Nasr, Jaâfar; Boussoffara, Ridha; Cancellieri, Emanuele; Marnaoui, Marwa; Marzouki, Meriem; Bel Haj Brahim, Hedi; Bou Rass, Mongi; Lernia, Savino; Destro Bisol, Giovanni (December 2020). "Berbers and Arabs: Tracing the genetic diversity and history of Southern Tunisia through genome wide analysis". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 173 (4): 697–708. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24139. hdl:11573/1438607. PMID 32936953. S2CID 221770812.

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