Djerba is an island that Odysseus is supposed to have visited. Homer's lotus-eaters, who fed him and his men a fruit that made them forget home, are traditionally placed here, and it is easy to see how a visitor might think so, with its white houses, palms, olive groves and slow warm air. The island lies off the south-eastern coast of Tunisia in the Gulf of Gabès, flat, sandy and joined to the mainland by a Roman causeway, and it has long been home to a mix of peoples: Berber-speaking Ibadi Muslims, Jews and Arabs. UNESCO listed the island's pattern of settlement in 2023.
That pattern is unusual. Instead of a single town, Djerba's people live in scattered farmsteads, and the mosques, many of them Ibadi, a branch of Islam distinct from the Sunni majority, stand in the countryside as small, white, buttressed buildings that look partly like fortresses. They had to be defended against pirates, and some are fitted with a refuge underneath. The whitewash, which gets renewed each year, makes them glow against the blue sky.
Houmt Souk, the island capital, has a fine market and a sea fort, the Borj el Kebir, rebuilt in the sixteenth century.
Riding on Djerba is easy, flat and slow. The roads are generally good, with long straight stretches between olive and date palms, and side lanes of sand and gravel leading to farms. Speed limits are low, and police checks are common. The sea wind blows constantly, and in summer the heat is strong. April to June and September to October are the best months. Be careful with sand on the corners and with stray dogs and scooters at dusk.
Fuel is available at Houmt Souk, a town of over sixty thousand, and in Erriadh and Midoun, and there is no shortage of stations on the island. Arrive by the Roman causeway at El Kantara or by the Ajim ferry, depending on direction, and look for brik, a crisp fried pastry with egg and tuna, as a snack, and a glass of mint tea. Come in the late afternoon, when the light is soft, the whitewash turns pink and the farmers are heading home.