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Tunisia,
The Isles of Jerba & Kerkenah
The Isles of Jerba & Kerkenah: -
The island of Jerba, 614 sq km (240 sq miles), is joined to the mainland by a 6km-long (4 mile) causeway. There is also a ferry-boat service and an air link. The main centre, Houmt Souk, is a small market town serving outlying farms and villages, most of which have fine examples of the distinctive local architecture. The island has about 40 beach hotels and a golf course.
The inhabitants of two Jerban villages are Jews, descendants of refugees who fled from Jerusalem after the Roman conquest of the city in AD70. Their influence is seen in the design of the jewellery sold locally. Jerban villages often specialise in one product. At Guellala, for instance, it is pottery; whilst at Adjim, it is sponges.
Kerkenah's: two inhabited islands, Gharbi and Chergui, can be reached by car ferry from the pleasant city of Sfax. A holiday village and a few hotels and bars indicate that tourism has (however unobtrusively) arrived to supplement the islands' staple industry of fishing. Kerkenah is also notable for its traditional and colourful wedding ceremonies, which visitors are welcome to watch.
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