Tunis, December 1, 2008- From December 25 to 28, 2008 Douz will host its traditional Saharan festival which this year celebrates its 41 st edition. Known as the “Gateway to the desert”, this picturesque desert town has retained its appeal and magic, in spite of its relatively newly gained popularity among desert trekkers and meharees.
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, is no exception; thanks to a rich program concocted by the festival’s organizing committee with the help of the National Tourism Board, the event will showcase camel and greyhound 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 organized by the Ben Ali Chair for the dialogue of religions and civilizations 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.
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