Tunis, January 1, 2009- The Gateway to the Sahara:
From December 25 to 28, 2008 the city of Douz, also known as the gateway to Tunisia’s Sahara desert, hosted its traditional Saharan festival. Created in 1910, the event is now running in its 41 st edition.. With more than a 100,000 international and local visitors, flocking to the town to attend the festival’s various events, this usually quiet picturesque town is seized with a buzz, which however does not take away its charm and magic.
Located on the Great Oriental Erg, Douz is still best visited during the yearly festival which usually takes place during the month of December.
The Douz festival which has done a lot to promote the town’s desert culture and traditions, has also contributed to keeping alive its rich traditions and mores.
The 2008 edition of this internationally renowned festival, was no exception; thanks to a rich program concocted by the festival’s organizing committee with the help of the National Tourism Board, the event showcased camel and greyhound (known as Sloughi) races, folk dancing, and hunting competitions.
The cultural dimension of the festival will also be highlighted thanks to a handicraft fair, poetry recitals, as well as an international conference on the theme “Cultural tourism and nature in the Sahara, a dialogue between peoples”.
The festival which attracts thousands of visitors from the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, also offers a wide variety of activities such as attending the customary trading and barter of camels and Arabian horses, as well as shopping. Carpets, silver Berber jewellery, saddles, dates, spices, mineral “desert roses” and other traditional handicraft which are among the town’s specialties, will be on display, during the festival and especially on Thursday which is the town’s market day.
However, desert lovers will particularly appreciate the desert’s breathtaking silence and its inspiring majestic setting.
A vibrant culture:
Over the years, Douz has also become a vibrant cultural pole where visitors from all horizons, merge together to share their experience and interact, throwing bridges between cultures or simply, making friends.
This year was no exception to the rule, with a highly acclaimed poetry festival held on the theme: “Dignity and Self reliance”, which was attended by poets from Tunisia and other countries.
The festival was also an hymn to the oral tradition so dear to desert culture and its exponents.
Traditional Bedouin folk music was also celebrated through performances by musical bands, playing popular songs. A show entitled “El Maoukef”, highlighted the rich heritage of Bedouin music.
Like each year, an international conference was also held from December 25 to 29. The Conference organized by the Ben Ali Chair for the Dialogue of Civilizations and Religions* dealt with the theme “Cultural tourism and nature in the Sahara: A Dialogue between peoples”.
Academics and speakers from Italy, France, Jordan, the Gambia, Iraq, Tunisia and other countries, took part in the event whose panels focused on the promotion of the Saharan cultural heritage, the situation of Tunisian cultural tourism, the importance of that ‘desert vessel’ the dromedary in Saharan tourism, the relation between tourism and sustainable development, as well as the upgrading of Saharan itineraries and the accessibility to tourists of cultural sites.
The conference tackled such issues as how can cultural tourism foster dialogue between peoples?
The conference concluded with the presentation of a pioneering project destined to launch an interactive international platform to promote Tunisia’s Saharan cultural tourism.
With one of the highest visitor return rates in the region, the festival is a real treat to the eyes and senses. Celebrating desert culture and preserving its heritage, the Douz Festival is also a journey not only in space but also in time.
It also offers visitors the opportunity to visit the region’s marvels such as the Tamerza desert oasis and its amazing waterfalls and the salt lakes and date palms of the Chott El Djerid . To top it all, a ride on the ‘Red Lizard’ train, as well as a detour to see the Star Wars shooting site in Onk El Jemel, near Tatatouine (Planet Taouine in the film), will provide both children and adults with an unforgettable experience in one of Tunisia’s most colourful and picturesque spots.
*Since its inception in 2001, the Ben Ali Chair for the Dialogue of Civilizations and Religions aims at promoting relations of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect between peoples. The Chair has organized a number of interfaith conferences to foster understanding and dialogue between religions.
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