Djerba has hundreds of small mosques, and a first-time visitor may wonder how a flat island of olive trees and palms could carry so many. The reason is partly history and partly faith. Most islanders belong to the Ibadi school, a very old branch of Islam that is neither Sunni nor Shia, introduced by Berber converts in the early centuries and kept alive here through isolation. Ibadi communities built mosques for each neighbourhood or family, and they are often small and plain, with thick white walls, a low dome, a few steps and a sheltered prayer space, designed to be defended and to stay cool.
Erriadh, the old Hara Sghira, is the place most visitors know for its street art, since in 2014 artists from around the world painted murals on the walls of the village, and the project, called Djerbahood, turned the lanes into an open gallery. It also lies close to El Ghriba, one of the oldest synagogues in Africa, a place of pilgrimage for Jews from Tunisia and abroad.
In this landscape the farms are walled compounds called menzels, each with its cistern, olive trees, palms and a house with a white dome, and between them narrow lanes run on a grid so regular that it seems planned. The riding is gentle and slow, on flat tarmac with low speed limits and the occasional pothole, and the main hazards are scooters, dogs and children who dart across. On a clear morning the air smells of salt and wood smoke, and the light is soft over the white walls. A stiff wind in spring can blow sand.
Fuel and food are within a few kilometres in Houmt Souk, which is only about five kilometres away, or in Erriadh, and nothing needs advance planning. Non-Muslim visitors should not enter active mosques unless invited, and should respect prayer times and dress modestly near religious buildings.