Exploring Chenini
We headed out to explore Chenini, which is a very large sight. Set on a hillside with a white mosque, it is breathtaking. We had lunch first at the local cave-restaurant and then toured the sight with a guide. We were hoping that the rain would stop, but it didn't. So after lunch we just grabbed our umbrellas and proceeded to check out this sight.
There were a some tourists here, but not many. One interesting cave held a camel that they had blindfolded, going around and around, mashing the olives to make oil. They have been doing it this way for hundreds of years. But you still have to feel so sorry for the camel!
Here is a bit from LookLex/Tunisia/Chenini:
"Chenini is the most visited of the mountain villages of southern Tunisia. There are mainly three of them, Douiret and Guermessa being the others. These villages are made up of cave houses built on the slopes of a mountain with a white mosque in the midst.
Far more dramatic than you would expect from the nature in this part of Tunisia. In a steep hillside facing north, people have been building both inside and outside the mountain. Above the village, a kalaat in bad shape is still used for storing grain, and the climate of the region makes the preservation process highly effective.Chenini was until quite recently one of the few remaining places in Tunisia where true Berber language was still spoken. Today, knowledge of this remains, and the older women use it, but all young people, girls and boys, use Arabic as their first language.The whole village holds around 2-3000 inhabitants, and as is the case with Douiret, many have moved into the newer settlement 2 km down the road."
 |
| Our group looks confused. I can't recall if this was because they were trying to understand the waiter or something else? |
 |
| These are not camel droppings. These are dessert. Similar to Baklava. Almond and flour, covered in a gooey honey. |
 |
| Very impressive sight! |
 |
| There is a storm coming in. |
No comments:
Post a Comment