62. From ( Sfax ) Graïba to Djerba viâ Gabes and Médenine

High Road from Graïba viâ (52 M.) Gabes to (101 M.) Médenine. Diligence to Gabes, in 9 hrs. (starting at 11.30 p.m., returning at 5.15 p.m.); thence to Médenine, in 8 hrs. Roads from Médenine to the two starting-points for the island of Djerba: one viâ (37½ M.) Zarzis to (52 M.) Marsa el-Kantara; the other viâ (17½ M.) Djorf Bou-Grara to (30 M.) Marsa el-Adjim.—Roads from El-Kantara (15½ M.) and El-Adjim (14 M.) to Houmt-Souk.

A motor-car should be hired from Sfax (p. ) to Médenine, or all the way to Marsa el-Kantara. Or we may drive thither from Graïba, by carr. previously ordered from Gabes. At Médenine it is advisable to telegraph to Houmt-Souk for a carr. to meet the traveller at El-Kantara (or El-Adjim, as the case may be).—Houmt-Souk is a steamboat-station between Tunis and Tripoli (comp. R. 64).

From Sfax to Graïba (39½ M.; railway in ca. 2 hrs.; fares 7 fr. 5, 5 fr. 35, 3 fr. 80 c.), see p. .

The Road leads to the S. from Graïba to (5½ M.) Archichina, a caravanserai on the W. side of the Sour Kenis Bay, where we join the main road from Sfax. It then traverses a desolate sandy waste on the W. side of the Gulf of Gabes (p. ), inland from the little seaport Skira (for the alfa trade).

On the (28 M.) Oued Akarit we enter the province of Arad. Between Jebel Roumana (564 ft.) and Jebel Dissa (p. ), offshoots of the hills around the shott region, extends the flat Isthmus of Gabes, 12½ M. broad, bridging the space between the bay and the Chott el-Fedjedj (76 ft. above sea-level), the E. continuation of the Chott Djérid (p. ). In 1873 Ferd. de Lesseps (p. ) suggested that, by cutting a canal through the isthmus, the whole of the shotts, as far as the Chott Melrir (p. ), might be converted into a great inland sea; but several of them lie much above the sea-level.

34 M. Domaine de Oued-Melah, an olive and palm oasis (10,000 palms), on a brook generally dry, is partly watered by the oldest artesian wells in Tunisia (1885).

To the right, a little off the road to Gafsa (p. ), lie the palm-oases of Oudref and El-Methouia, and to the left Ghennouch. Near the (49½ M.) poor oasis of Bou-Chemma we join the road from Kebilli (p. ).

Our road leads through the palm-oasis of Gabes (p. ) and past Djara (p. ) to (52 M.) Gabès-Port.

Gabes.—Arrival by Sea (comp. R. 64). The steamers anchor in the open roads (at low-tide over ½ M. from the fishing-boat harbour). Landing or embarking, especially in summer, in N.E. or E. wind, is often impossible.

Hotels (comp. p. ; sometimes crowded with motorists in spring). Grand-Hôtel, Hôt. des Voyageurs, both at Gabès-Port, ½ M. from the pier.

Cab from the pier to Gabès-Port 40 c. (for several pers. 20 c. each); one hour 1½ fr., each addit. ¼ hr. 25 c.; day of 10 hrs. 10–12 fr.; carr. and four horses, for long excursions, 20 fr. a day.

British Consular Agent, C. Calleja.

Gabes or Gabès (Europ. pop. 900, mostly Italians and Maltese; total, incl. oasis, 10,200), the ancient Tacape, the chief harbour on the stretch of coast called Emporia by the Greeks and a rival of Leptis Magna and Tripoli (comp. p. ), is now the capital of the Arad and headquarters for the S. Territories, which are still under military rule. It is the only harbour of importance on the S. coast of the Gulf of Gabes (p. ). The chief exports are the sponges of the bay, alfa or esparto grass, dates, and woollen goods. In the war annals of 1881 the bombardment of Gabes from Menzel (see below) and the protracted resistance of the inland tribes are memorable. It was here that Gen. Logerot intercepted the tribes of the E. coast who tried to pass through the Arad to Tripolitania.

The small Harbour, for fishing-boats only, at the mouth of the Oued Gabes, protected by two stone piers, is exposed to every wind and choked with sand.

To the N.W. of the estuary, on the border of the oasis, which is here protected from sand-drift by palisades, rise low dunes; to the S.E., near the lighthouse, is an admirable bathing-beach.

The modern Gabès-Port, adjoining the Camp Militaire, contains no attraction except the garden of the Cercle Militaire. It is garrisoned with 160 native horsemen (Spahis or Cavaliers du Maghzen), who guard the Tripolitanian frontier of the S. Territories. The tradespeople are mostly Jews.

Beyond Gabès-Port, also on the barren right bank of the river, lie the large Berber villages, partly built of Roman materials, of Djara (Grand-Djara; pop. 3500) and Menzel (pop. 4500, incl. about 1000 Jews). The market-place of Djara, a square enclosed by primitive arcades with shops, is frequented chiefly by the S. Algerian caravans.

Almost the only sight of Gabes is the beautiful, but in summer malarious *Oasis, once somewhat over-praised by Pliny, which extends 3¾ M. up the left bank of the river and is 1–1¼ M. in breadth. Among the remarkably tall and well-grown date-palms (about 200,000) are many bananas and other fruit-trees. The river and the small channels, often enlivened by women washing or carrying water, are crossed by numerous bridges of palm-logs. A walk or ride to the most interesting spots takes 3–4 hrs. (mule 2–3 fr.). From Menzel we go upstream to the Barrage du Sidi el-Bey (1894), and past the remains of a Roman Dam, built of huge blocks, to the Râs el-Oued (213 ft.), a hill at the W. end of the oasis often covered with clouds of dust, where the principal feeders of the river, 30 in all, form a number of waterfalls. Turning here, we follow the largest irrigation-conduit to the village of Chenini (pop. 1000) and cross the Sfax road (p. ) to the N.W. half of the oasis, where many of the palms are overgrown with vines.

The *Monts des Ksour (p. ), bordering the Sahara on the S. side of the Arad, are well worth visiting from Gabes or from Médenine (p. ; carr. tariff, see p. ; an ample supply of food and rugs advisable; comp. also p. ). These barren hills culminate in Kef Toudjane (p. ), which is almost everywhere conspicuous from the coast, and Jebel Smerten (each about 2100 ft.), and in Kef Demeur or Jebel Demmer (2460 ft.). The inhabitants, the Troglodytes of antiquity (see p. ), are, in the N.W. part, the Matmatas, on the plateau of that name, and, in the S., members of the Ouerghamma League, Berber tribes which for centuries withstood the attacks of the Arabs and the predatory Sahara nomads. They still often live in caverns, with a court resembling a shaft as the centre of their dwelling, and cavities used as side-rooms or offices. The gardens, laboriously irrigated by dams and cisterns, yield olives, dates, and figs; in the valleys grain, chiefly barley, and vegetables are cultivated. The Matmatas often go to Tunis as porters or artisans but always return home in their old age.

A glimpse of this region is obtained by driving from Gabes to (28 M.) Matmata-Kebira or Kalaâ-Matmata (1838 ft.; p. ; quarters at the Kaïd’s), on the Matmata plateau, whence an excursion (on mule-back) should, if possible, be taken to the picturesque rock-village of Hadege. A new but very hilly road leads from Matmata-Kebira through the mountains viâ (12½ M.) Toudjane (919 ft.), a village grandly situated on the slopes of Kef Toudjane (2090 ft.), direct to (37½ M.) Métameur (see below).

The Médenine Road (diligence, see p. ) now leads to the S.E. through a steppe-like hill-country, fringing the Monts des Ksour (p. ) and intersected by many valleys, passing the small oases of Menara (200 ft.) and (55 M.) Teboulbou (artesian wells; much olive-culture). Next come the valleys of the Oued Merzig and Oued Ferd, with the small oasis of (56 M.) Ketena.

74 M. Mareth (Bordj), a large palm-oasis on the Oued Mareth. We then cross the Oued Zigraou to (77 M.) Aram. Beyond the spurs of Jebel Touati and Jebel Souinia rises the main range of the Monts des Ksour (p. ).

Beyond the valleys of the Oued Zeus and Oued Hallouf the road rounds Jebel Tadjera (968 ft.; Poste Optique). 97½ M. Métameur, formerly a ‘camp militaire’, on the brook of that name, below the small oasis and (½ hr.) Berber village of Ksar Métameur (391 ft.), whose storehouses (rhorfas), with keel-arched vaulting, recall very ancient buildings in Asia Minor.

101 M. Médenine (361 ft.; Médenine Hôtel, R. 2½, B. ½, déj. 2½ fr., good; pop. 1000, incl. 100 Europeans), capital of the Ouerghamma (see above), the league of the Berber tribes Khezour, Touazine, Ouderna, and Accara. The high-lying Camp Militaire, with its garrison of Spahis (p. ) and Infanterie Légère d’Afrique (‘Joyeux’), is the largest on the Tripolitanian frontier.

The deserted and ruinous *Ksar, in a small palm-oasis, consists of a great number of the old storehouses of the League, some of them in four or five stories, now replaced by retbas or rabtas (p. ). They are dug deeply in the hill-side, and are accessible only by stairs of mud or stepping-stones.

Travellers used to privations and content with such poor quarters as the natives can offer may, after consulting the military authorities at Médenine, visit the S. part of the Monts des Ksour (p. ). The best centre there is (34 M.) Tatahouine, the seat of the military and civil authorities, with an important market, well attended by caravans on their way from the Sahara and the Sudan by way of Ghadâmes in Tripolitania (p. ). The chief villages of the cave-dwellers (Ksûr) near this are Tlalet, formerly Talalati, a frontier-fortress on the Limes Tripolitanus (p. ), Beni-Barca, *Chenini, and *Douirat (2090 ft.).

The Zarzis Road (37½ M.) descends to the E. from Médenine through the sandy coast-plain to (15½ M.) Aïn-Mader, near the saline marshes of that name on the S. bank of the Mer de Bou-Grara (see below), and then traverses the hill-region of the Accara tribe (p. ), between the sea and the large Sebkha el-Melah.

To the left, a little off the road, 4 M. from Zarzis, are the ruins of the little Roman town of Zita, now Zian, where the small forum is still enclosed with the remains of its colonnade.

37½ M. (or from Graïba 138½ M.) Zarzis (accommodation at the Bordj), on the site of the Roman seaport Gergis, amidst extensive olive-groves famed for their oil, has two artesian wells and a small harbour for fishing-boats. Important sponge-fishery.

A road (the chief route to the island of Djerba) leads to the N.W. from Zarzis across the Péninsule de Zarzis or des Accara to (14½ M., or, from Graïba, 153 M.) Marsa el-Kantara, a village near the Râs Marmor, on the S. side of the E. entrance (1¼ M. wide) to the Mer de Bou-Grara (see below). The dilapidated Roman dam which crosses the strait here to El-Kantara is still used by camel-caravans at low tide (6½ ft. below high-water), but it is better to cross by fishing-boat. From El-Kantara to Houmt-Souk, see p. .

The Djorf Bou-Grara Route to Djerba is shorter (30 M.) and will repay antiquarians. The rough road (mule preferable to carr.) leads from Médenine to the N.E. viâ Bir Saâdou, and then past some small salt-marshes, to the Mer de Bou-Grara, a large landlocked bay between the mainland and the island of Djerba, accessible for large vessels by the Canal d’Adjim only (not quite 1 M. across; see p. ). This bay, in which fish abound, and Lake Bizerta (p. ) are the best natural harbours in Tunisia.

17½ M. (or from Graïba 118½ M.) Djorf Bou-Grara (no inn) is near the site of *Gightis, a small Punic-Roman seaport, which attained great prosperity in the 2nd cent. A.D. The harbour, which was always shallow at low tide, is now entirely silted up. Excavations begun in 1896 have revealed the ruins of curiously cramped and irregular streets, with various public buildings, villas remarkable for their coloured incrustation and rich mosaics, and Byzantine houses built of Roman materials.

A broad street ascends from the harbour to the Macellum, with fountain and exedra similar to those at Timgad (p. ). The small Forum, 60 by 44 yds., has on the E. side an archway, the Curia, and the Market Basilica, with the tribunal, while the Severus Arch on the N. side formed a lateral entrance. On the S. side rises the Capitol (see p. ), in the style of the capitol or ‘Jupiter temple’ at Pompeii.

The Temple of Mercury, to the S. of the forum, has columns in its peribolos, or outer wall, with curious capitals adorned with cables, in allusion to the occupation of the founder. The building is curiously planned, having several small rooms or ‘sacristies’ behind the cella; it is adjoined by a chapel of Mercury and one of Minerva.

A Temple of Isis (?), a Temple of Hygiea, the Thermae, and a late-Punic Cemetery also have been unearthed.

If a fishing-boat is available at Djorf Bou-Grara we may sail direct to Adjim (p. ; 13½ M. in ca. 1½ hr.). If not, we must go 12½ M. farther to (30 M., or from Graïba, 131 M.) Marsa el-Adjim at the Râs el-Djorf, the N. point of the peninsula, opposite Adjim (1⅓ M. distant; boat in ¼ hr.).

The Island of Djerba (highest point 118 ft.), 17½ by 14 M., is the largest on the N. African coast. From the lotus-tree (Zizyphus Lotus; Arabic nebga, Fr. jujubier), which thrives here, Homer called it the island of the Lotophagi. It was later named Meninx and was the birthplace of the Roman emperors Vibius Gallus and Volusianus (251–3). It is now one of the most fertile and prosperous regions in Tunisia. Secure in their insularity against the attacks of the nomadic Arabs, the inhabitants (about 40,000), mostly Berbers of the Kharijite sect (p. ), have retained their old language and customs. They vie in industry with their kinsmen the Mozabites (p. ) and go forth as traders to all the seaports of the Orient. Agriculture also thrives. There are 1,300,000 date-palms, 500,000 olive-trees, and as many orange, lemon, and peach trees; early vegetables too are now largely grown. The sponge, polypus, and other fisheries and the oyster-beds in the Canal d’Adjim (p. ) are very productive.

Djerba has four harbours, Houmt-Souk, Adjim, El-Kantara, and Aghir. The only towns are Houmt-Souk, Hara-Kebîra, and Hara-Serîra; the villages are merely local markets for their districts. The countless little mosques have white domes like most of the houses, but are distinguished by conspicuous slender minarets of the Turkish type, resembling lighthouses. The farm-houses (menzel) scattered throughout the island often have a castellated appearance. In the entire absence of brooks the soil is irrigated from cisterns and wells, among which are two very copious artesian wells. The winter climate (p. ) is the mildest in Tunisia, but gales are frequent. For excursions there are few carriages available (20 fr. per day); the usual conveyance is an araba or country-cart; for a mule the charge is 4–5, for a donkey 3 fr. per day. The tourist should beware of the countless scorpions, especially in the warmer season.

Houmt-Souk (Hôt. de l’Oasis or Crolet; Hôt. de France; Brit. cons. agent; pop. 5900, incl. 560 Maltese, French, Italians, and Greeks), the capital of the island, lies on the sandy N. coast, ½ M. from the sea and 5 M. from the anchorage of the steamers (comp. p. ). The dilapidated Bordj el-Kebîr on the shore recalls the time of the Spanish domination. Near it is the Christian Cemetery, where repose the bones, collected in 1848, of the 18,000 Spaniards who were massacred here in 1560 after the naval victory of Dragut (p. ) and Ochiali Pasha, and yielded trophies for the ghastly Bordj er-Rious (tower of skulls).

In the interesting Souks (Mon. and Thurs.) are seen all the products of the island. Among the numerous religious buildings may be named the Mosquée el-Gheriba and the Mosquée des Turcs.

A road leads to the S. from Houmt-Souk to the Jewish villages of (¾ M.) Hara-Kebîra (pop. 3500) and (4½ M.) Hara-Serîra or Hara-Sghîra (pop. 1500), where numerous goldsmiths make silver-gilt trinkets of antique and Byzantine patterns, with enamel and jewels (mostly imitation). The Gheriba, the synagogue of Hara-Serîra, where, according to an old tradition, one of the tables of the law of Moses was once found, is a great resort of Jewish pilgrims from S. Tunisia and Tripolitania, and is much revered by Moslems and Catholics also.—From Hara-Serîra the road leads to the S. to (14½ M.) Guallala, the centre of the pottery-manufacture carried on in Djerba ever since ancient times (oil-jars, porous water-jugs, vases, etc.). Near it is the hill of Dahrat-Guallala, which yields the clay.

A road leads to the S.E. from Houmt-Souk viâ Hara-Kebîra (see above) and (10⅓ M.) Cedouikeche (potteries) to (15½ M.) El-Kantara, the seaport for Zarzis (p. ), not far from the extensive but unimportant ruins of Meninx, the ancient capital of the island.—Another road leads to the S.W. to (14 M.) Adjim, a rising little seaport and market (Wed.), with an artesian well 760 ft. deep. To Djorf Bou-Grara (and Gightis), see p. .

Near the E. coast of the island, on the roads to the Râs Taguermess (p. ) and the small summer harbour of Aghir, lie the villages of Midoune (Frid. market) and Mahboubine, with many villas of the merchants of Houmt-Souk, situated amid palm and olive groves and charming *Fruit Gardens, where the oranges and lemons blossom in March. On the road to Midoune is the Mausolée de Borgho, the only intact Roman monument in the island.