Gattoufa
| Gattoufa |
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|---|---|---|---|
| administration | |||
| Country |
 Tunisia
|
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| Governorate | Tataouine | ||
| Délégation (s) | Tataouine Sud | ||
| Post Code | 3233 | ||
| Demographics | |||
| population | 500 pop. | ||
| geography | |||
| height | 300 m | ||
|
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| Coordinates | 32 ° 54 ' N , 10 ° 32' E | ||
Gattoufa or Gatouffa is a Berber village ( ksar ) with about 500 inhabitants in the Tataouine governorate in southern Tunisia .
location
Gattoufa is located in a valley basin in the almost desert-like Dahar mountain region at an altitude of approx. 300 m above sea level. d. About 10 km (driving distance) east of Tataouine .
economy
The inhabitants of earlier centuries lived as farmers and ranchers in a semi-nomadic way of life ( transhumance ), which continued into the first half of the 20th century. The small fields received some rain in winter and were already harvested in April; in summer, people moved their cattle to higher regions of the Dahar mountain range. Since the 1940s, this way of life has been gradually abandoned - also because of the increasingly less rainy climate. Many men found work in the cities of the north or on Djerba ; some have brought their families to join them. The place became a tourist destination at the end of the 20th century.
history
As in almost all Berber- inhabited settlements in the Maghreb, there are no records of the probably centuries-old history of the place.
Attractions
- The center of Gattoufa consists of a large ksar with numerous mostly two-storey storage vaults ( ghorfas ), in which in earlier times food supplies (grain, oil, beans, lentils, dates etc.), but also other valuables (agricultural and household equipment, weapons etc.) ) of the villagers were stored. The buildings are vaulted because - unlike the Agadirs of Morocco - there was not enough wood available for the construction of flat roofs. The rather large courtyard of the Ksar may also have served as a resting and storage place for passing trade caravans .
- The plastered and whitewashed mosque with its comparatively high minaret , which stands directly next to the ksar, was probably built around the middle of the 20th century.
literature
- Hédi Ben Ouezdou: Découvrir la Tunisie du Sud. De Matmata à Tataouine - ksour, jessour et troglodytes. Faculté des sciences humaines et sociales, Tunis 2001, ISBN 978-9973-31-853-4 .
