La Ghriba stands on the island of Djerba, just outside the village of Erriadh, and it is among the oldest Jewish places of worship in North Africa. The name means the Stranger, or the Marvellous, and the stories about its beginning stretch back to a priest who fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the First Temple, bringing a door or a stone. Whatever the truth of that, the building you see today is much later, a nineteenth-century structure with a whitewashed exterior and an interior of blue, turquoise and gold tiles, carved wood and low lamps that give the prayer hall an underwater glow.
Each spring the synagogue hosts a pilgrimage, around Lag BaOmer, when Jews from Tunisia, France, Israel and elsewhere gather for several days of prayer, songs and feasting, and the lanes around the building become busy with stalls and buses. Security is serious here, with checkpoints and bag searches, after an attack in 2002 and further incidents since. Expect to show ID and to cover your head, and to be asked politely to dress with respect. The community in Djerba is small but long established, and the island has a history of Jews and Muslims living near each other in the same villages.
For a rider the island is a fine change of rhythm. Djerba is flat, dry and warm, with olive groves, palms, whitewashed houses with domed roofs, and fields divided by low walls. Roads are narrow and ordinary, with roundabouts at every junction, scooters weaving about, and sand blown across the asphalt on windy days. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, because midsummer is hot and busy, and winter can be grey and breezy.
Houmt El Souk, the main town about seven kilometres away, has fuel, a fish market, a fort built by the Spanish and later rebuilt by the Ottomans, and plenty of cafés for strong coffee and a sweet pastry. Erriadh itself has a street full of painted murals, made by international artists over the last decade, and is easy to wander. Midoun, to the east, also has fuel and services. Take cash, since smaller shops and cafés do not always take cards, and allow time for the security checks at the gate.