Tunisia

Tataouine, in southern Tunisia, is famous for the trogolodyte buildings of the native Berber* population. It’s so other-worldly, that director George Lucas used it as a backdrop for one of his Star Wars films.

During the summer there is a host of music and cultural festivals, but the best is the ‘Festival of the Ksour Saharien’. It’s held in the desert of Tataouine, a magical place to experience local culture first-hand. One of the most exhilarating sights is the display of horsemanship. Berber men used to fight on horseback, and here are seen charging across the desert, firing their muskets. But there is also music, dance, and some gravity-defying vessel-balancing.

Djerba is known as the ‘Island of the Lotus-Eaters’. It’s where Odysseus almost lost his men to the seductive honey-sweet fruit. It’s also where I discovered the wonderful silver-smithing of the Berbers.

Read my article for Travel Weekly here, and my feature for Time Out Dubai here.

*Berbers are indigenous to North Africa and some northern parts of West Africa since at least 10,000 BC. You can experience more Berber music at Morocco’s Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira.