Douz
Douz | |
---|---|
Commune and town | |
Douz during the Festival of the Sahara | |
Douz Location in Tunisia | |
Coordinates: 33°27′N 9°1′E / 33.450°N 9.017°E | |
Country | Tunisia |
Governorate | Kebili |
Population (2014) | |
• Total | 38,537 |
Time zone | CET (UTC1) |
Douz (Arabic: دوز dūz) is a town in the Kebili Governorate in the south of Tunisia, known as the "gateway to the Sahara."[1] By road it is located 31 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Blidet, 125 kilometres (78 mi) southeast of Tozeur, and 475 kilometres (295 mi) south of the Tunisian capital of Tunis.[2] It has been called the "ultimate palm oasis", because it has over 500,000 palm trees in the area, and it is a major producer of "diglat noor" dates.[3] In previous times it was an important stop on the trans-Saharan caravan routes. Today, it is destination for tourists who are interested in seeing the desert, and a starting point for desert treks by camel, motorcycle, or four-wheel-drive vehicle.[3][1][4]
Every year Douz hosts the International Festival of the Sahara, a four-day celebration of traditional desert culture. The festival, usually held in November or December, features traditional music and dancing, poetry readings, camel wrestling, and racing of horses and salugis.[5] Douz is home to the Museum of the Sahara, which showcases displays on traditional nomadic desert culture of the Mrazig people who now mostly live a settled life in the town.[5][6]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douz. |
- 1 2 Trillo, Richard; Gregg, Emma (1 April 2011). The Rough Guide to First-Time Africa. Rough Guides Limited. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-84836-481-3. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ Google (28 January 2013). "Douz" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- 1 2 McCloskey, McCloskey Joseph (14 October 2009). Memoirs of a Biker: Traveling the Long Road. Trafford Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-4251-1021-5. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ Hureau, Jean (June 1977). Tunisia today. Éditions J.A. p. 87. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- 1 2 Fabbri, G. Magi, P.; Fabbri, Patrizia (20 January 2008). Art and History: Tunisia. Casa Editrice Bonechi. p. 103. ISBN 978-88-476-2177-0. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ Unesco field mission reports on Muslim countries: an annotated bibliography from 1947-1991. Vikas Pub. House. 1995. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7069-9860-3. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
Coordinates: 33°27′N 9°01′E / 33.450°N 9.017°E