Tunisia Region : Jerba

Today a mix of entrepreneurial energy and traditional lifestyle, the Island of Jerba was a haven for the Jews in ancient times and an independent city state in the Middle Ages. The capital Houmt Souk has a lively market, a Thirteenth Century fort, a Baroque Catholic Church and an unusual Islamic architecture in the Mosque of the Turks and the Mosque of the Strangers. Jerba Market At the center of this flat island is the Ghriba Synagogue, which has one of the oldest Torahs in the world, and is still visited by Jewish pilgrims from other parts of the Mediterranean. Each Jerbian village has its own distinctive costume and one or more lovely white washed mosques.