Tunisia Way

Djerba is with its 514 km² the largest island off North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia.

No different from Ulysses, who some authors have described as Djerba's first tourist, a traveler will find the people of this Tunisian isle friendly and hospitable. From the first day of a visit, the delightful charms of Djerba will hold most travelers spellbound.

Why this island, which travelers have labeled, 'Isle of Forgetfulness', holds visitors under its spell, is virtually unexplainable. A great many attribute it to its magic halo - a combination of a clear-blue sky, shining white houses, clean and well-kept towns, tree-covered countryside and warm, yet not too hot climate. Whatever the case, a good number of travelers go into raptures when describing this island - made famous by Ulysses.
According to Greek mythology, Djerba was the home of the seductive lotus eaters. In Homer's Odyssey, Ulysses almost lost his men when the beautiful maidens of the island fed them the lotus flower. The men were so pleasantly intoxicated by the lotus that Ulysses found it almost impossible to make them return to their ships. Yet, even if this story is only a fable, Djerba has, for many centuries, enraptured travelers who have been lucky enough to land on its shores. A veritable floating garden, rising from the sea like a mirage, the island's spell of forgetfulness which supposedly entrapped visitors in ancient times, has not faded with the passing centuries. It is said that Djerba is a land of dreams, created by nature to enchant the imagination of the human soul. In Djerba's Phoenician and Roman periods, the island and its principal town were known by the Phoenician name of Meninx whose ruins are to be found near the 6 km (4 mi) Phoenician based Roman causeway, which joins the island to the mainland. After the Muslim conquest, Djerba became the haven for an Islamic sect, known as Kharidjite, which today, in its present form, only exists on this island. During the Middle Ages, the inhabitants withstood the most powerful and ruthless rulers of Mediterranean Europe. From the 12th to the 16th centuries, the people of this Isle of forgetfulness fought almost continuously, usually against the Spaniards, but at times against the united kings of Christendom.