We made an earlier start this morning and were on the road out of Tunis at 08:30, and to our surprise, it was raining and this was the first rain we’d experienced during our nearly three weeks in North Africa.
Out westward travel for the first hour had us passing through extensive grain growing areas, with barley and wheat crops either ready for harvesting or already harvested. This expansive grain area would have covered many thousands of hectares and looked well managed. The annual rainfall here is adequate, such that additional irrigation is not necessary in most areas.
As we approached the town of Testour, the emphasis changed from grain production to predominantly fruit growing, with pomegranates, apricots, almonds and grapes being the main crops we observed.
By the time we’d reached Testour the rain had ceased, the sun was shining and the temperature was approaching a steamy 30°C.
Testour is one of Tunisia’s Andalusian Muslim towns that had its origin in the 17th century after the Christian conquest of Andalusia in Spain. This resulted in 80,000 Arabs being expelled and coming to Tunisia. The poorer Muslim refugees settled in the barren interior regions like Testour and used their farming knowledge to turn the area into a thriving and fertile oasis.
Testour used to have fourteen mosques and five are still functioning today. The 17th century Great Mosque is a good example of Tunisian Moorish architecture.
The square base of the tiled minaret is crowned with an octagonal tower with green vitreous tiles featuring prominently. Unexpectedly, the Jewish ‘Star of David’ is prominent on the minaret’s upper level. This supposedly suggests that a cooperative working relationship existed between Jews and Muslims in those earlier times. One further very special feature of the minaret is the clock near the top of the tower.
This is thought to be the only minaret in the world which has a clock and what’s even more surprising is that the clock functions in an anti-clockwise direction with the hours around the dial going backwards! One could only surmise that this peculiarity was revealing the refugees desire to turn back time and return to their homeland!
Great Mosque, Testour
9:48 am on clock on Great Mosque, Testour
In an alleyway nearby, we met a charming woman cooking crepes on a gas heated hot-plate. The woman sold a number of durum wheat based products such as semolina, bran, wheat germ, macaroni, burghul (cracked wheat), noodles, couscous, etc and she invited us to try the crepes with a dipping of olive oil. The crepes were delicious and the lady gave the most glorious smile when she saw our appreciation of her cooking.
Friendly lady making crepes
Crepes cooking on gas hotplate
A famous Tunisian singer, dancer and actor, Habbiba Messika also lived for some time in Testour until at the age of 27 she was murdered by her estranged lover. She was born in 1903 and her fame reached the point where she was often referred to as the ‘first star of Tunis’; a desperately sad story.
House where famous Tunisian singer, dancer and actor Habbiba Messika lived, Testour
We wandered along the main street of Testour observing the busy Saturday morning trading. We then stopped at a shop selling pomegranate juice and had most enjoyable, cool, refreshing drinks of freshly squeezed pomegranates.
Man making pomegranate juice for us, Testour
Pomegranates
We then drove on to the town of Dougga, regarded as the best preserved Roman city in North Africa.
The city was originally a Berber settlement and then was Punic under the control of the Phoenicians. Post the Third Punic War, it then came under the order of Roman administration from the 1st and 2nd century AD.
Dougga was accorded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1997.
The site has so much to see, one could easily spend a day or two here; but unfortunately we only had about three hours.
The first site we visited was the amphitheatre and it is regarded as one of the best preserved examples of theatres in Roman Africa. It could host 3500 spectators and has extraordinarily fine acoustic qualities as we tested from the stage to the upper level.
Amphitheatre, Dougga
Amphitheatre, Dougga
Probably the finest and most impressive monument at Dougga is the Capitol which was built in 166 AD. The four front columns support the remaining fragments of the temple pediment, which features a statue of Antonio’s Pius. The Capitol’s tympanum features a flying eagle.
The Capitol, Dougga
We visited the Lycinian baths, a complex with cold and hot water rooms, plus a gymnasium with mosaic tiled floors.
Then we came to the Forum with its red marble columns and then the nearby Square of The Wind in which the 3rd century engravings in the paving represent the directions of the twelve Roman winds.
The water storage cisterns of Ain Doura were amazing and surrounded by incredibly old olive trees some, reputedly as much as 2000 years old!
Water storage cisterns of Ain Doura and olive trees, Dougga
Next we came upon the Dar el-Achab which is located near the forum and has a high, rectangular doorway leading to the Temple of Tellus which dates from 164 AD. One particular, although nondescript sculpture that intrigued us was the dual carving in marble of statues of Venus and Neptune.
Dar el-Achab, Dougga
After two hours of visual overload, it was becoming increasingly difficult to absorb further information but fortunately, more mundane sites like family villas, brothels, town streets and even public latrines made for a less demanding, visual mental break.
Chris, Diana, Jak and Corinne, Lycinian Baths, Dougga
Libyo-Punic Mausoleum, Dougga
We left the fascinating site of Dougga and then had lunch at the Dougga Hotel which specialises in serving game caught by local hunters. We had a superb meal of wild boar meat (plus vegetables and rice) which was cooked very slowly with local spices. It was tender and delectable. We were intrigued to imagine Muslims eating wild boar and yet they uncategorically declare that it’s not pork!
Wild boar meat specialty for lunch at Dougga
Stuffed wild boar head in restaurant, Dougga
Our final two hours of driving was south-eastward towards our destination of Kairouan. A point of interest along the way was the old Roman Bridge of Athamnia off to the side of the road ‘highway’ 73. We could find no information about its age or construction details but assuming its about 2000 year’s old it is in remarkably superb condition.
Roman Bridge of Athamnia
We arrived in Kairouan and about 18:00 and settled into our comfortable and well appointed hotel room. We had evening drinks with Chris and Diana and then downloaded photos and wrote diary notes covering this amazingly splendid day.
Tomorrow we’ll spend time in this old Arab city of Kairouan and drive on to Tozeur for tomorrow night.