There are undoubtedly a thousand good reasons to visit Tozeur, the capital of the Jerid in the Tunisian Sahara: the inauguration by Tunis Air of a direct flight from Nice Côte d’Azur, a journey barely longer than a Paris-Nice, is certainly not the least of them. But to set the mood for the reader, let’s start with the most anecdotal, the most locally colored reason. Rest assured, the serious aspects will follow.
Right after boarding the 4×4 at the airport, the driver mentioned the existence of a strange bird: the “abarah”. Barely bigger than a duck, equipped with a long neck and a pair of brown eyes, this almost duck-like bird nests in the region annually to the great pleasure of hunters. It is said that people come from far away—Gulf countries—to relish it. Not for its meat, which is no worse than that of its lake-dwelling cousin, but for the indescribable aphrodisiac qualities attributed to its brain. It was a first piece of information that absolutely had to be verified. Unfortunately, among the many guests rushing at the lunch in Tozeur’s Golf course, neither the Commander of the Gendarmerie nor the Police Commissioner, despite his sunglasses and thin mustache and a background from St-Cyr-Au-Mont-d’or, were able to provide useful details on this matter. The regional director of Tunisian Tourism, Borhane Ben Ali, seemed more knowledgeable about the issue but merely smiled knowingly, remaining silent. Fantasy or reality, the “abarah” remains a secret jealously guarded by the mysteries of the desert.
Tozeur is the antithesis of the coastline. A slap to Djerba, a snub to Hammamet. Instead of the white and blue, symbolic colors of the Tunisian coast that we find in wall tiles and exterior faience, Jerid prefers the discreet ochre of fine sand tanned by the sun. Living dust that reacts with shades of red or green when assaulted by unexpected rain. The seaside invites you to gaze into the horizon’s infinity. The desert exhorts a profound introspection. It mandates the start of an expedition inward. Unquestionably, an intense moment.
