Ile de Jerba Shopping Tips by JLBG Top 5 Page for this destination

More clothes hanged for sale

Outside of the souk, a whole row of shops present more djellabahs of various color and design and a few Gafsa carpets. These Gafsa carpets can be used either as carpets, laid on the soil, or as a kind of tapestry, hanged on a wall.

Theme: Women's Clothes

Clothes hanged for sale

In front of a vaulted narrow passage that leads to the souk, clothes of various kinds are hanged. They look more like tourist stuff that is not designed for a long use than actual clothes for locals, that are much stronger and better sewed.

Theme: Women's Clothes

Women in traditional garments

This photo shows the traditional garments of two Djerbian women, one is in black and the other in white cloth. Both have a thin red stripe at the bottom of their djellabah and a wider stripe slant across the middle of the garment. They walk in front of a shop that sells cloth.

Theme: Women's Clothes

Rug knitting

This photo was not taken in Djerba but in Gafsa, where this kind of rugs is made. I thought it was interesting to drop it near the carpet for sale. The frame of the rug is vertical and the woman knit the threads at eye level.

Theme: Home Furnishing

Detail of another knitted rug

You might perhaps have noticed one feature that is very surprising with these rugs. While the Moslem religion, brought in Tunisia by the Arabs, forbids any representation of humans and animals, these rugs represent stylized figures of men and of women, of a camel and goats on the previous rug, of a lion and camels on this one. These traditional designs might be the remnant of the old Berber traditions that does not forbid these representations.

Theme: Home Furnishing

Detail of a knitted rug

The Gafsa rugs have typically a design made of squares. The squares are alternatively dark or pale, which already gives them a special pattern. The colors are very bright. This one has a lot of reds, oranges, browns, blues and reds.

Theme: Home Furnishing

Rugs

Rugs are hung between both sides of this side street, close to the market. Their design is typical of Gafsa. They are not knotted as in Kairouan but knitted rugs. On the next photos, you will see more of the design.

Theme: Home Furnishing

Spices and straw hats

A little further on the market, on the square, a merchant sells more bulk spices. On the right, an old "Roberval" scale is used to weight the goods. I suppose that the "couffin" (a basket, not a coffin !) with bread and the moped are not for sale ! But the straw hats, typical of Tunisia, are for sale.

Theme: Food and Drink

Close up on a dish

On this close-up of a dish, you can better see the blue décor, made of stylized vines with leaves, buds and fully open flowers. They look fictional and do not seem to correspond to any plant known by botanists !

Theme: Other

Dishes

The earth ware dishes and vases are beautifully decorated. They are lined on the soil, for your pleasure. The décor shown here does not seem to be produced in Guellala but might come from other potter's places, on the continent.

Theme: Other