Tunisia
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Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia
Region: all of Tunisia
ITINERARY X: Towards the Land of the Qsur
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Description |
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The last of the historic cities before entering the land of the qsurs, Gabès is situated in a region of oases which has been graced with a continuous human presence since Prehistoric times. This permanence is due to the existence of sources of water which irrigate the oases that favour an agriculture laid out in tiers. Far from being confined in and around its palm grove, Gabès has always been a town open to the mountains nearby. In the north, the Matmata range looks like a massif undulating away until it disappears from view. Some villages occupy the basins, such as Matmata, Hadège, Techine … where houses have been dug out of the sandy, clay formations of the massif. To the west, on the hillocks of the Dahar, three villages huddle together: Tamezret, Taoujout and Zeraoua. Their houses are permanent, consisting of one or more rooms which have been excavated into the flank of the mountain. Further south, the landscape becomes uneven. There, like the eagles' nest, the villages are perched on the crests and rocky outcrops. |