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    Mountain Oases Chebika, Tamerza & Midès
    Asram at French Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    Tunisia

    Mountain Oases Chebika, Tamerza & Midès

    Point of Interest

    Chebika, Tamerza and Midès are three mountain oases about 50 to 75 kilometres northwest of Tozeur on the Algerian border.

    by Felix Gillen

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    9. Mountain Oases Chebika, Tamerza & Midès
    Chebika, Tamerza and Midès are three mountain oases about 50 to 75 kilometres northwest of Tozeur on the Algerian border. Springs feed waterfalls and palm gardens between bare rock walls, above them stand the ruins of mud-brick villages abandoned in 1969.The oases lie in the border area with Algeria, Midès directly on the border, an area official travel advice warns against: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before making any plans.

    Sights in Mountain Oases Chebika, Tamerza & Midès

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Chebika Oasis
    Attraction

    1Chebika Oasis

    Mountain oasis near the Algerian border, in ancient times the Roman outpost Ad Speculum. A spring above the village feeds small waterfalls and pools. The old village was abandoned after the 1969 floods; the new one was built next to it.
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    Grand Waterfall of Tamerza
    Natural Feature

    2Grand Waterfall of Tamerza

    Waterfall in the mountain oasis of Tamerza, fed by a spring that emerges from the mountain and flows into a gorge. Opposite lie the ruins of old Tamerza, abandoned in 1969 after the floods.
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    Canyon of Midès
    Point of Interest

    3Canyon of Midès

    Colorful rock gorge at the edge of the abandoned village of Midès, known for fossils and minerals. Scenes for The English Patient and Fort Saganne were filmed here. Midès lies directly on the Algerian border; official travel advice warns against travel to this border area.
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    Restaurants in Mountain Oases Chebika, Tamerza & Midès

    1

    Restaurant Chedli (Tamerza)

    Simple restaurant with a large, shaded terrace in Tamerza village. Serves Tunisian cuisine like Couscous and Chorba.
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    History and Culture

    Roman RootsIn ancient times, Chebika was the Roman outpost Ad Speculum, located on the road between Tébessa and Gafsa. Midès also lay on this Limes.The 1969 FloodIn severe floods in 1969, over 400 people died in Tunisia. The old mud-brick villages of Chebika, Tamerza, and Midès were subsequently abandoned, and new villages were built alongside them.Tamerza: oasis featuring the Grande Cascade and the ruined village on Oued El HorchaneMidès: the abandoned village at the edge of a colorful canyon, where the Palmeraie provides dates, oranges, and figsChebika: a spring with small waterfalls and pools above the villageFilming LocationsScenes for The English Patient were filmed in these mountain oases, with Midès also serving as a location for Fort Saganne.

    Location & Access

    LocationFrom Tozeur: Chebika is about 50 kilometers away, Tamerza about 70 kilometersBetween them: Midès and Tamerza are about 10 kilometers apartTravel and Safety AdviceCheck the current official travel advice before you go, for example the UK FCDO Travel Advice for Tunisia. All three oases lie close to the Algerian border, Midès directly on it. The German Federal Foreign Office advises against travel to the immediate border area with Algeria; parts of the southern border area are military restricted zones.

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    Nearby

    Tozeur

    Tozeur

    Tozeur is the main town of the Djerid in southwestern Tunisia, about 450 kilometres southwest of Tunis on the northern edge of the Chott el Djerid salt lake. You come for the Ouled el Hadef old town with its patterned brickwork and for the palm grove with around 400,000 date palms.The town has just under 40,000 inhabitants and is easy to explore on foot, by bicycle or by horse-drawn carriage. Tozeur lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.
    Nefta

    Nefta

    Nefta is the second major oasis of the Djerid, about 25 kilometres west of Tozeur between the Chott el Djerid and the first sand dunes. The town is known for the Corbeille, a palm-filled rocky basin, and as the centre of Sufism in Tunisia.Nefta has just over 20,000 inhabitants and an old town of patterned mud brick. It lies close to the Algerian border on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.
    Oases & Sahara

    Oases & Sahara

    In southwestern Tunisia, steppe and mountains give way to the Sahara: palm oases such as Tozeur and Nefta, the Chott el Djerid salt lake and the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental near Douz define the region. You travel here for brick-built old towns, date palms, the salt lake and the first sand dunes of the Sahara.The region borders Algeria and areas covered by official travel warnings. Check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice for Tunisia, before making any plans.
    Chott el Djerid

    Chott el Djerid

    The Chott el Djerid is a vast salt lake between Tozeur and Kebili in southwestern Tunisia, the largest salt flat in the Maghreb. You experience it on the causeway road from Tozeur to Douz, which runs across the white salt crust.Depending on the source and the water level, the lake covers 5,000 to over 7,000 square kilometres. It lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.
    Douz

    Douz

    Douz is known as the gateway to the Sahara: the oasis town in Kebili governorate lies about two hours' drive southeast of Tozeur on the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. You come for the first big sand dunes, organised camel rides and the Festival international du Sahara in December.The town has around 30,000 inhabitants, most of them from the Mrazig tribe. Douz lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings, and independent desert trips are advised against: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps. Each photo carries its credit.
    • Place data such as addresses and ratings comes from Google Maps.
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