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Chenini

Situated 18 km west of Tataouine “the home of the Star Wars”, the ancient citadel of Chenini clings to the side of the mountain like an apparition and dominates the valley below. The city’s inhabitants dug out refuges and barns in the mountain and the city appears as a sort of honeycomb. These “ghorfa”, or primitive troglodyte dwellings used to be inhabited by a group of nomads originated from the Berbers. Chenini is one of the rare cities in which people still speak the Berber Language. This fortress was also a granary and dominated the Sahara, enabling the Berbers to resist the Arab invasions of the XI century.

Today the city has spread out into the surrounding plain and the new city lies at the foot of the mountain. Here the houses are more modern and not so picturesque as in the old town. However, the very fine mosque built in a cavity eroded in the mountain is well worth a visit. The severity of the mountain is illuminated by the striking simplicity and brilliant white of the mosque with its seven domes.

 

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