Must-see attractions in Southern Tunisia

  • Ksar Ouled Soltane is a fortified granary, or ksar, located in the Tataouine district in southern Tunisia. The ksar is spread out over two courtyards, each of which has a perimeter of multi-story vaulted granary cellars, or ghorfas. Like other ksour (plural of ksar) created by North African Berber communities, Ksar Ouled Soltane is located on a hilltop, to help protect it from raiding parties in previous centuries.

    Ksar Oued Soltane

    Southern Tunisia

    The ghorfas (long, barrel-vaulted rooms built to store grain) of Ksar Ouled Soltane rise a dizzying four storeys around two courtyards and are one of…

  • Palmeraie

    Tozeur

    This enormous green space has more than 200,000 date palms, as well as fig and pomegranate trees and canopied garden holdings. It's best explored by foot,…

  • Ksar Ezzahra, Tataouine, southern Tunisia; Shutterstock ID 671436523; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Tunisia Destination Page image update

    Ksar Ezzahra

    Southern Tunisia

    This is a relatively little visited ksar (Berber fortified granary), which is a shame because it almost rivals Oued Soltane as the best in the region. It…

  • Hotel Sidi Driss

    Southern Tunisia

    This hotel and old troglodyte house is Matmata's biggest draw because of its iconic status as a Star Wars film location. Spread over several pit…

  • Mos Espa

    Southern Tunisia

    Mos Espa is probably Tunisia’s best-preserved Star Wars set. It’s remarkably intact and one of the best Star Wars sites in the country. The site is a…

  • Ksar Joumaa

    Southern Tunisia

    Joumaa is as good a ksar (Berber granary) as you could hope to find, with a splendid remote setting. It's almost a street of ghorfas (grain stores) at the…

  • Ksar

    Southern Tunisia

    Medenine’s only attraction is its well-preserved ksar (fortified granary). It can seem as if every square inch of every ghorfa (long, barrel-vaulted grain…

  • Ksar Haddada

    Southern Tunisia

    Ksar Haddada draws a steady stream of visitors who marvel at its maze of small alleyways and courtyards. It became a place of pilgrimage for Star Wars…

  • Dar Charaït Museum

    Tozeur

    The museum is housed is an extravagant reproduction of an old palace and contains collections of pottery, jewellery, costumes and other antiques, as well…

  • Ouled El Hadef

    Tozeur

    This 14th-century medina has a unique, striking architecture of pale brickwork arranged in relief patterns of endless, rhythmic variation; the easiest way…

  • Palmeraie

    Southern Tunisia

    The palmeraie stretches inland along the Oued Gabès. It looks its best during the pomegranate season in November and December, when the trees are weighed…

  • Gightis

    Southern Tunisia

    The Roman port of Gightis, 20km south of El Jorf on the back road from Medenine, is one of Tunisia’s least-visited ancient sites. Established by the…

  • Skywalker Homestead

    Southern Tunisia

    The original iconic igloo homestead where Luke Skywalker grew up was dismantled after the first Star Wars film was completed – this replica was rebuilt…

  • La Corbeille

    Southern Tunisia

    La Corbeille (which translates as ‘the basket’), a deep, palm-filled gully that takes up much of the northern part of town and cuts the town in two, is…

  • Ong Jemal

    Southern Tunisia

    The name derives from an unusual rock formation, shaped, not surprisingly, like the neck and head of a camel, overlooking the barren plains. This was…

  • Ksar Jelidet

    Southern Tunisia

    This expansive ruined complex of ghorfas (long, barrel-vaulted rooms built to store grain) overlooks the road out of town on the southern edge of the…

  • Belvedere Rocks

    Tozeur

    A sandy track running south off the Rte Zone Touristique near the Dar Charaït Museum leads to the Belvedere Rocks. Steps have been cut into the highest…

  • Palmeraie

    Douz

    Not that you’re counting, but the palmeraie here is one of the largest of all the Tunisian desert oases, with almost half a million palm trees. A…

  • Musée Memoire de la Terre

    Southern Tunisia

    The parched and barren landscape around Tataouine can seem ancient, and it doesn't take a lot of imagination to picture dinosaurs wandering the area. This…

  • Musée Berber

    Southern Tunisia

    Run by local women who have displays of carpet-making and traditional keys, this is an option for viewing the pit dwellings of Matmata. Because doors are…

  • Chak Wak Park

    Tozeur

    This incongruous, trippy park is a testament to the vision of the former mayor of Tozeur. Scattered around gorgeous grounds is what amounts to a 3D…

  • Musée du Sahara

    Douz

    A visit to the small folk museum provides some perspective and context for the desert lifestyle. It has a collection of regional costumes, a mock nomad…

  • Ksar Hallouf

    Southern Tunisia

    This 13th-century ksar (fortified granary) overlooking a picturesque valley 14km northwest of Beni Kheddache has a series of sympathetically restored…

  • Marabout of Sidi Merzoug

    Southern Tunisia

    Just outside Nefta, you'll find this shrine to Sidi Merzoug, an important Sufi saint. The followers of Sidi Merzoug, known colloquially as the Black…

  • Ksar Ouled Debbab

    Southern Tunisia

    This huge ksar (traditional fortified granary) sits on a low hill just east of the modern village of Debbab. It was occupied until several years ago, and…

  • Roman Pools

    Southern Tunisia

    The Romans pools are Gafsa’s main attraction, and it’s a pleasant spot although you’ve seen all there is to see after a few minutes. Apart from the…

  • Marabout of Sidi Brahim

    Southern Tunisia

    The most important religious building in Nefta's El Bayadha district is the Zaouia of Sidi Brahim, where the Sufi saint (and descendant of the Prophet…

  • Ksar Mgabla

    Southern Tunisia

    This small ksar (traditional fortified granary) is a good place to start your exploration of the ksour, although much of the 15th-century facade is no…

  • Waterfalls

    Southern Tunisia

    The 8m-high waterfall below old Tamerza is popular with local day-trippers. In happier, wetter times, the falls made a pool large enough to swim in – a…

  • Gafsa Museum

    Southern Tunisia

    Gafsa's rather modest museum houses, among other things, a couple of large mosaics from ancient Capsa.

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