Douz
Encyclopedia
Douz is a town in central Tunisia
, known as the "gateway to the Sahara
." 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.
Douz is a major palm oasis and as such a large producer of "diglat noor" dates.
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
(a type of dog, similar to a greyhound, native to the North African desert.)
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.
n men in vehicles in the desert
. Fighting reportedly lasted through the night, and ended on the morning of 20 August. Several Tunisian casualties were reported. Local residents stated that army reinforcements were called from nearby towns, and helicopter
s assisted in the battle as well.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, known as the "gateway to the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
." In previous times it was an important stop on the trans-Saharan
Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara to reach sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the late 16th century.- Increasing desertification and economic incentive :...
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.
Douz is a major palm oasis and as such a large producer of "diglat noor" dates.
Every year Douz hosts the International Festival of the Sahara
International Festival of the Sahara
-History:The very first festival, called the Camel festival, began in 1910 when Tunisia was under French rule.In 1967 it took on its modern identity according to the will of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia's first president of the new republic, to become the country's oldest and best-known festival...
, 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
Saluki
The Saluki, also known as the Royal Dog of Egypt and Persian Greyhound is one of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dog. From the period of the Middle Kingdom onwards, Saluki-like animals appear on the ancient Egyptian tombs of 2134 BC. They have connections both to the Bible and Imperial...
(a type of dog, similar to a greyhound, native to the North African desert.)
Douz is home to the Museum of the Sahara, which showcases displays on traditional nomadic desert culture of the Mrazig
Mrazig
The Mrazig are a previously nomadic people who live in and around the town of Douz, Tunisia. Numbering around 50,000 they are the descendants of the Banu Sulaym tribe who left the Arabian peninsula in the eighth century. They lived in Egypt, then Libya ,and finally arrived in Tunisia in the...
people who now mostly live a settled life in the town.
2011 skirmish with Libyan forces
On 19 August 2011 Tunisian security intercepted armed LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n men in vehicles in the desert
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
. Fighting reportedly lasted through the night, and ended on the morning of 20 August. Several Tunisian casualties were reported. Local residents stated that army reinforcements were called from nearby towns, and helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s assisted in the battle as well.