Hara Sghira means the little quarter, and for centuries it was the name of the Jewish village on Djerba's north coast, a few minutes from Houmt El Souk across flat olive and palm country. Today the modern town around it is called Erriadh, and it has two reputations. One is religious: the El Ghriba synagogue, which locals will tell you is the oldest in Africa, draws pilgrims every spring for a festival of candles and song, and visitors go through security checks at the gate, which is a sign of the troubled recent history rather than anything to be nervous about. The other is artistic, for in 2014 well over a hundred artists from dozens of countries covered the whitewashed walls of the village with murals, and the project, called Djerbahood, turned a sleepy street grid into an open-air gallery.
Walk the lanes slowly, because the paintings are the sort you notice at second glance: a giant figure folded around a door frame, patterns that continue across a corner, a face painted over a water tank. Some have faded in the island's sun, and new work appears. Whitewashed cubic houses, blue shutters and shaded courtyards fill the gaps, and a few cafes near the main square serve mint tea and strong coffee.
Djerba itself is as flat as a billiard table, which makes the riding easy and a little monotonous, with straight roads lined with olive groves and date palms, and the occasional herd of sheep. The pleasure is in the small lanes and the light. Wind is the main hazard, as gusts from the sea can push a loaded bike sideways, and sand drifts across the tarmac on bad days. Traffic is moderate, though scooters appear from side lanes without warning, and speed bumps in the villages are not always painted.
Fuel is easy: Erriadh is a town of about fourteen thousand people, and Houmt El Souk, the island's capital, is six kilometres away with petrol stations, shops and its harbour market. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, when temperatures sit in the twenties, while August brings fierce heat and crowds at the beach resorts on the east coast.