Tozeur
Tozeur توزر |
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Tozeur main street | ||
administration | ||
Country | Tunisia | |
Governorate | Tozeur governorate | |
Post Code | 2200 | |
Demographics | ||
population | 46,422 pop (2014) | |
geography | ||
height | 42 m | |
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Coordinates | 33 ° 55 ' N , 8 ° 8' E |
Tozeur ( Arabic توزر, DMG Tauzar , Central Atlas Tamazight ⵜⵓⵣⵔ Tuzer ), the Roman Tusuros , is a city in southern Tunisia with approx. 47,000 inhabitants. The capital of the governorate of the same name forms the center of the region 'Land of Date Palms' ( Bled el Djerid /بلاد الجريد).
location
Tozeur is about 40 m above sea level. d. M. on the north-west edge of the salt lake Chott el Djerid between Gafsa (82 km in the northeast), Kebili (80 km in the east) and Nefta (25 km in the west). The 80 km² large desert national park of Dghoumès is 15 km northeast, over 50 km northwest on the southeastern foothills of the Atlas Mountains are the mountain oases Chebika and Tamerza . Tozeur-Nefta Airport is to the west of the city . Tozeur has a train station and is the terminus of the railway line coming from Gafsa.
description
A special feature of Tozeur is the adobe architecture that is characteristic of this area of Tunisia. Examples of this can be found both in modern buildings and in the old town with its winding streets and covered tunnel paths.
Tozeur consists of the city proper and an oasis of around 10 km² in the south and east . Despite the extreme climatic conditions (maximum temperatures of approx. 50 ° C (in the shade), annual precipitation between 80 and 120 mm), the oasis fed by fossil water supplies is very fertile. A devastating fire in the nineties destroyed a large part of the oasis vegetation, especially many of the date palms, so that the once extremely popular oasis is now presented in a changed landscape.
population
Most of the inhabitants of Tozeur are Berbers who immigrated from the surrounding regions in the second half of the 20th century ; However, the colloquial language is mostly Arabic .
economy
The dates grown here have always been the livelihood of the local population. After the harvest, they were pressed and transported to the coastal regions in camel caravans. Today tourism plays a not insignificant role as an economic factor.
history
The place was already known in antiquity - Claudius Ptolemy mentions it under the name Tisuros , which a few centuries later also appears in the Peutinger tablets in the modified form Tusuros . In Roman times, the city formed part of the Limes Sahariensis and functioned as an important trading center for dates and slaves. Until the Muslim invasion of the Maghreb , most of Tozeur's population was Christian.
Attractions
- The main attraction of the city are the alleys of the medina. Some gates show geometric brick decor.
- A short walk in the date palm grove gives an insight into the oasis economy ; it is usually too hot for a longer stay.
- The Dar Cherait Museum displays Berber jewelry and costumes.
- Outside the city, a monumental monument in the style of Mount Rushmore figures was dedicated to the poet Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi .
- The Chak-Wak Park is a combination of park and museum that takes the visitor on a journey through the history of Tozeur.
sons and daughters of the town
- Abu Yazid (873–947), Berber leader in the fight against the Fatimids
- Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi (1909–1934), Tunisian poet
- Youssef Seddik (* 1943), Tunisian philosopher and anthropologist
Tozeur as a location
Tozeur and the surrounding area were filmed for the Oscar-winning science fiction movies Star Wars by George Lucas . Much of the 1996 film The English Patient , which won nine Academy Awards, was filmed in Tozeur and the surrounding area. The ZDF was 1972, the first season of the on Karl May based novels television series Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi rotate among others in Tozeur and neighboring Nefta.
Trivia
The Italian pop singer Alice brought the single I treni di Tozeur (German: 'The Trains from Tozeur') to the market in 1984 together with Franco Battiato, thereby giving the oasis city a greater profile in Europe. The duet reached 5th place for Italy at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Recensement 2004 - Tunisia ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.