Why this ride
An 85 km round trip from Erriadh - roughly 1 h 57 in the saddle. The stops in between: Mosquée Moghzel, Mosquée Mthanya and back through Mosquée Moghzel. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mosquée E Cheikh and Mosquée Mthanya
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 85 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 57
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Mosquée E Cheikh
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.
Read the complete Mosquée E Cheikh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mosquée E Cheikh is where the day begins. Next is Mosquée Moghzel.
2. Mosquée Moghzel
Djerba is a flat, low island off the south coast of Tunisia, joined to the mainland by a Roman causeway and a ferry, and its landscape of olive groves, palms and whitewashed farmhouses is dotted with small mosques that look more like fortresses than places of prayer. The Moghzel mosque is one of them. Djerba has a long Ibadi tradition, a branch of Islam that is neither Sunni nor Shia, and many of the island's villages are Berber speaking, with architecture suited to hard times: thick walls, buttresses, small domes, and a plain whitewashed look that fits the sun and the sea.
Read the complete Mosquée Moghzel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mosquée Moghzel comes up about 14 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mosquée Mthanya.
3. Mosquée Mthanya
Mthanya is another of Djerba's fortress mosques, tucked among olive groves and low white houses south of Erriadh, and like its neighbours it is built for strength rather than show. The island has dozens of these Ibadi mosques, and UNESCO recognised them in 2023 as part of the cultural landscape of Djerba, along with the farm hamlets, the markets and the water systems that make this island such a distinct human habitat.
Read the complete Mosquée Mthanya write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 42 km into the recorded legs you reach Mosquée Mthanya. Next is back through Mosquée Moghzel.
4. back through Mosquée Moghzel
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mosquée Moghzel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mosquée Moghzel, late in the day. Next is Mosquée E Cheikh.
5. Mosquée E Cheikh
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mosquée E Cheikh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Mosquée E Cheikh. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Mosquée E Cheikh to Mosquée Moghzel
Mosquée E Cheikh → Mosquée Moghzel is 14 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mosquée Moghzel to Mosquée Mthanya
Mosquée Moghzel → Mosquée Mthanya is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mosquée Mthanya to back through Mosquée Moghzel
Mosquée Mthanya → back through Mosquée Moghzel is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mosquée Moghzel to Mosquée E Cheikh
back through Mosquée Moghzel → Mosquée E Cheikh is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.