THE "MENZEL" OF DJERBA

With its 514 square kilometers, the island of Djerba has long been both a crossroads of trade and a place of refuge and settlement for populations of diverse origins. Over the centuries, the island's strategic location and flat topography have exposed it to all manner of invaders from far and wide. From the ^ninth to the ^eighteenth century, an exceptional urban planning system developed. This urban planning was guided by the imperative of defense and the need to make the most of scarce resources, whether water or food. The result was a deliberately dispersed urban layout, shaping the territory by dividing it into neighborhoods(houma in Tunisian) and creating an unprecedented landscape. Each houma is made up of a series of menzel, which are living areas and daily agricultural activities of 2 to 4 hectares. Dwelling, well, threshing floor, storage rooms... All these houma with their menzels are structured around numerous winding tracks and paths that stretch across the whole island of Djerba. Although there are still menzels in operation on the island of Djerba, and you may come across some by chance, it's not easy to visit them. Above all, they are private homes. An excellent way to discover them is to visit the reconstructed menzel in the Djerba Heritage section of Djerba Explore. The quality of Djerba's urban landscapes is one of the reasons why the town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site!