No landmark names this spot, which in a way suits it. It is a plateau of pale limestone and clay, cut by dry valleys, with low scrub, olive plots and the occasional small, whitewashed village in the folds.
The Dahar is the heartland of the Berber-speaking communities of southern Tunisia, and its history shows in the architecture. In this region people built fortified granaries, called ksour, in which each family kept a vaulted cell, or ghorfa, for storing grain, oil and dates, stacked in several storeys around a central courtyard. They were also places of refuge, built to withstand raids, and many of them still stand, some restored, some half-abandoned. The names of villages on the ridge, from Chenini to Douiret, are the names of these old communities.
Riding across it is calm and open. The road rises and falls over a succession of low ridges, the corners are mostly gentle, and the views are long, with distant hills layered in blue and ochre. Traffic is light, mainly local vans, trucks and shared taxis, and the surface can vary from smooth to patched, with sand drifting across in windy weather. Watch for animals, especially in the evening, when goats and sheep come down to the road, and for shepherds with their flocks.
Seasons matter here. Spring brings a short flush of green and wildflowers, autumn is clear and mild, and winter days can be cool and bright, with surprisingly cold nights. In summer the heat builds fast, and a long ride across the plateau is best done in the cooler hours of early morning and late afternoon.
Because the settlements are small and scattered, it makes sense to carry water and to enter this stretch with a comfortable tank, taking Gabès or Tataouine as the nearer big towns for supplies and repairs. A moment spent beside the road, listening to the wind and the faraway tinkle of goat bells, tells you more about the south than any guidebook.