Djerba is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at 514 square kilometers, in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Citing its long and unique history, Tunisia has sought UNESCO World Heritage status protections for the island, and, in 2023, Djerba was officially designated a World Heritage Site.
This serial property is a testimony to a settlement pattern that developed on the island of Djerba around the 9th century CE amidst the semi-dry and water-scarce environment. Low‑density was its key characteristic: it involved the division of the island into neighborhoods, clustered together, that were economically self-sustainable, connected to each other and to the religious and trading places of the island, through a complex network of roads. Resulting from a mixture of environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors, the distinctive human settlement of Djerba demonstrates the way local people adapted their lifestyle to the conditions of their water-scarce natural environment.
Midoun is a town and commune located on the north east of Djerba in Medenine Governorate, Tunisia.
The ancient El Ghriba Synagogue, also known as the Djerba Synagogue, is located on the Tunisian island of Djerba. It is situated in the Jewish village of Hara Seghira (currently known as er-Riadh), several kilometres southwest of Houmt El Souk, the main town of Djerba.
The synagogue is the oldest in Tunisia, and possibly all of Africa. Besides being the center of the island’s Jewish life it is also a site of pilgrimage. While extensively renovated in the 19th century CE, the buildings may date to the 6th century BCE: one of the legends associated with its founding claims that either a stone or a door from Solomon’s Temple or the Second Temple is incorporated in the building.
On April 11, 2002, a truck full of explosives was detonated close to the synagogue, killing 21 people.
The State Visits - World Heritage Site 