The city of Douz , in the Tunisian south, will host the 37th edition of its international festival, December 25-29, 2004.
The desert-city Douz, known as the gateway to the Saharan desert, is a small town in the country’s South, located some 450 kilometers south of the capital city, Tunis. The city’s exotic charm, rich fauna and flora, and typical bedouin lifestyle make it a great destination for desert lovers.
As it is the case each year, during the period from December 25-29, Douz will host the 2004 edition of its international festival. The 5-day festival, which was originally created in 1910, represents an important cultural and touristic event. It attracts annually a total of more than 100,000 visitors.
The Douz festival promotes the rich civilizational heritage of the people of the desert as well as their typical customs and traditions. During the festival, visitors attend camel and arab horse races as well as hunting scenes featuring the local hunting dog or ‘slougui’. Various colourful scenes of desert life are enacted
Many international dance and music bands perform during the festival . Poetry readings are also held . This year, an international conference on the theme: ” Creation and the Sahara” will be organized by Gabes University.
A friend of mine from Douz has a portal dedicated to the city which also provides real-time coverage of the festival (in French and Arabic). To check it out, go to Douz.org.
I’ve visited Douz twice and gone for great camel rides in it’s desert. It’s so beautiful and I can’t wait to visit it again.
