Tozeur
Tozeur
توزر ( UTC+1 (CET) | |
---|---|
Postal code | 2200 |
Website | http://www.commune-tozeur.gov.tn/ |
Tozeur (
History
During the
Bishopric
At this time it was the seat of a
Located in the
The bishopric ceased to function following the seventh-century arrival of Islam. The remains of an ancient church are visible in the foundations of an old mosque of Tozeur.
Four bishops (two canonical, two schismatic
- Maximianists, a sect of dissident Donatists, and signed their acts.
- Council of Carthage (411)where the prevailing Catholics condemned Donatism as heresy.
- Florentinus participated in the Council of Carthage called in 484 by the Arian king Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom, whereafter he was exiled like most Catholic bishops, unlike Aptus, Asellicus' Donatist rival.[4]
Titular see
It was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin
It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank:
- Cardinal-Deacon of San Michele Arcangelo] (25 February 1965 – 25 July 1967, his death);
- Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca(27 June 1977 – 26 October 1982, his death);
- Thomas Cajetan Kelly (12 June 1977 – 28 December 1981) as Auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.. United States) (12 June 1977 – 28 December 1981); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Louisville(United States) (28 December 1981 – 12 June 2007, his retirement), died in 2011;
- Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels(Belgium) (14 February 1982 – 20 March 2002), then as emeritus;
- Bishop-elect Amilton Manoel da Silva, Passionists (C.P.) (7 June 2017 – present) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Curitiba(Brazil).
Geography
Climate
Climate data for Tozeur (1991–2020, extremes 1950–2022) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) |
31.7 (89.1) |
39.8 (103.6) |
40.2 (104.4) |
46.6 (115.9) |
48.7 (119.7) |
48.8 (119.8) |
48.0 (118.4) |
45.2 (113.4) |
40.9 (105.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
48.8 (119.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
23.0 (73.4) |
27.4 (81.3) |
32.3 (90.1) |
37.1 (98.8) |
40.0 (104.0) |
39.6 (103.3) |
34.9 (94.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
25.9 (78.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.2 (91.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
11.6 (52.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
12.3 (54.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.8 (33.4) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.7 (0.54) |
7.2 (0.28) |
11.2 (0.44) |
13.2 (0.52) |
4.1 (0.16) |
4.0 (0.16) |
1.1 (0.04) |
2.4 (0.09) |
9.5 (0.37) |
9.8 (0.39) |
11.4 (0.45) |
8.9 (0.35) |
96.5 (3.80) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 13.0 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
63 | 55 | 52 | 49 | 46 | 42 | 40 | 44 | 51 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 52 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 201.5 | 198.8 | 235.6 | 243.0 | 282.1 | 279.0 | 331.7 | 310.0 | 264.0 | 238.7 | 201.0 | 201.5 | 2,986.9 |
Source 1: Institut National de la Météorologie (humidity/sun 1961–1990)[6][7][8][9][note 1] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA[11] |
Modern town
With hundreds of thousands of
Architecture
Tozeur, in common with the surrounding Jerid region, is noted for its yellow/brownish brickwork as well as its patterns in geometric designs which form the facades of most buildings in the old city and the new tourist zone.
-
A round gate, the entrance to the carpet market. "Shop Berber". A satellite dish. A tower of a mosque, Tozeur, 1997.
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A local in traditionalBerberclothing in the Medina, 2007
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Inner courtyard of a house, Tozeur, 2020.
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Double square door of a recently constructed house, 2020
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Panorama of Tozeur houses viewed from the roof of the Café Berbère, 2020.
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Typical brick decorations on a facade in the Medina of Tozeur
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The unique brickwork of the old streets in the Medina of Tozeur, 2021
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The entrance of the Medina of Tozeur
The old town of Ouled El Hadef (also known as Medina of Tozeur) is an example of the local brickwork which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tozeur and was a home for Jews too.
Sport
Tozeur has a football club who plays in the First Professional Federation of Football in Tunisia, the team is called LPS Tozeur. In 2010–2011 season the club almost made it to the First Professional Federation of Football.
Economy
Overview
Although still the largest part of the local economy, dates and farming are becoming less appealing to the young, who are more often employed in tourism. Tourism is heavily developed and promoted, and Tozeur is considered a center of "desert tourism" (Arabic: السياحة الصحراوية). The annual "International Festival of Oases" (Arabic: المهرجان الدولي للواحات بتوزر) takes place in the town in November and December each year.
The government initiated two large-scale projects:
- Tapping of deep aquifers by wells. This led to the depletion of most natural springs and abandonment of the traditional irrigation canals. Tozeur's oasis has been irrigated based on an open surface canal system designed in the 13th century by engineer Ibn Chabbat. This traditional irrigation system is currently being replaced by a system of concrete pipes. Water that was traditionally free to farmers is now being sold to offset the cost of these projects and pipes.
- The second part of these local projects is the initiation of new oases around town. These oases' productivity is very low and their future highly unstable.[12] This situation is slowly leading to the decay of the old oases (due to salinity, poor planning and lack of skilled workers) with productivity plummeting and the health and future of the oases questionable.
The region around Tozeur is seeing a large influx of unemployed workers and their families from the once rich phosphate region of
Overall the region, and Tozeur in particular, is going through a tough time. The region is embracing the unstable tourism economy and shying away from its traditional agricultural based economy. During the first
Transport
The city is served by buses, taxis, railway, louage (shared or group taxi), and Tozeur–Nefta International Airport with national and international services from London, Paris, Rome and few other European countries (international flight services are mostly during the summer tourism season). Tozeur lies on the edge of the Sahara desert. Tourism activity is higher in the fall and winter months with Douz Festival among others in late December
People from Tozeur
- Aboul-Qacem Echebbi (Arabic: أبو القاسم الشابي) (Tozeur, February 1909 – 9 October 1934), was a Tunisian poet. The current Tunisian anthem is based on one of his poems.
- al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah.
- Ibn Chabbat (Arabic: ابن شباط), also known as Mohamed Ben Ali Ben Mohamed Ben Ali, (16 October 1221 – 17 June 1285 in Tozeur), was a writer, historian, engineer and respected Tunisian social figure in the 13th century. Ibn Chabbat's main contribution and legacy is an open surface canal system for equitable water distribution in the oasis that is still in use today.
- Ibn al-Kardabūs (13th century), jurist and historian of al-Andalus
- Brahim Dargouthi (born 1955), novelist. "Nafta", a city located in the governorate of Tozeur, formerly, was known as the cradle of knowledge in North Africa. It is the "Koufa" of Africa.
Popular culture
Tozeur was used as a filming location for the Star Wars saga and Raiders of the Lost Ark (specifically Sidi Bouhlel canyon outside the town and the salt-flats of nearby Nefta). Lucasfilm also built an entire set a few kilometers north-west of Tozeur in the middle of the desert. This set acted as Mos Espa in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The buildings are still there and can be visited.
In May 1984 the Italian singers Alice and Franco Battiato represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "I treni di Tozeur" ("The Trains of Tozeur"), whose lyrics contain several references to Tozeur, the historic train Le Lézard rouge and Tunisian history in general. This song became a chart hit throughout Continental Europe and Scandinavia.
Gallery
-
A view from Tozeur
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Panorama of Zaouia El Kadiria, Tozeur
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Ferkous Mosque
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Souk of Tozeur
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Traditional bags (Koffa)
See also
- List of Catholic dioceses in Tunisia
Notes and references
Notes
References
- ^ Tururos at catholic-hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b Shaw 2011, p. 271.
- ISBN 978-1556356926.
- ^ a b Lancel 2002, p. 356.
- ^ Titular Episcopal See of Tusuros at GCatholic.org.
- ^ "Les normales climatiques en Tunisie entre 1981 2010" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Données normales climatiques 1961-1990" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Les extrêmes climatiques en Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "60760: Tozeur (Tunisia)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Réseau des stations météorologiques synoptiques de la Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Climate Normals 1991-2020". NOAA.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-85828-748-5.
Bibliography
- Lancel, Serge (2002). St Augustine. Norwich: Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. ISBN 0334028663.
- Shaw, Brent D. (2011). Sacred Violence: African Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine. Cambridge University Press. p. 271. ISBN 9780521196055. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
Ecclesiastical history
- Gams, Pius Bonifacius (1931). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae (in Latin). Leipzig. p. 469.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Morcelli, Stefano Antonio (1816). Africa christiana (in Latin). Vol. I. Brixia. pp. 341–342.
- Mesnage, Joseph (1912). L'Afrique chrétienne (in French). Paris. pp. 163–164.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)