Around Tozeur minus twenty-five, the end of the lake begins to appear. We see the first palm groves, dancing first on the mirages, then very real. Some 400,000 date palms frolic around Tozeur, producing enough dates to export to all of Europe.
Tozeur, the city of briquette
At the entrance, a sign makes us smile: "See Tozeur and relive". The parallel with Venice is not ultimately so ridiculous. There was a time when Tozeur was also a vast trading post, attracting caravans from the four corners of the Sahara, coupled with an important cultural center. We decide to take the time to relive and put down our luggage for one night.
Tozeur's specialty, after the date of course, is the sand-colored briquette. The walls of the center are covered with it, sporting elegant patterns supposed to reduce the power of the sun. Any stratagem is good to take in a region where the thermometer has fun approaching fifty degrees in summer.
The old medina is practically deserted. We only come across a few fleeting passersby, which allows us to admire at leisure ... always more briquettes and patterns.
Outside the medina, we don't find much interest in Tozeur. Oh yes, we were going to forget its palm grove! Finding the main entrance is easy, many horse-drawn carriages park there waiting for potential tourists to walk. We prefer to explore the plots on foot and choose a secondary entrance, which allows us to escape the manure left by horses in their path.
The walk is quit and peaceful, in the shade of the trees and along the small irrigation canals. To be continued in the next part ....