envies
wishlist
رغبـاتنـــا
escapade à Tabarka I getaway in Tabarka I
رحلـــة اىل تــــــوزر
Visit Tabarka,
northwestern gem
C
1. Les Aiguilles, véritables
attractions touristiques de la
ville. I Les Aiguilles, true tourist
attractions in the city. I
اإلبر الصخرية، عنرص جذب
I أسايس للسياح يف املدينة
2. La plage de Tabarka, l’une
des plus convoitées de la côte
nord. I Tabarka’s beach, one of
the most coveted of the North
coast. I
شاطئ طربقة، واحد من أكرث
الشواطئ جذبا يف الساحل
I الشاملــي
3. La statue en forme de violon,
symbole du Festival de Jazz
de Tabarka. I The statue in
the shape of a violin, symbol of
Tabarka’s Jazz Festival. I
متثال عىل شكل كامن، رمز
I مهرجان الجاز يف طربقة
oastal city in north-west
Tunisia, located a few
kilometers away from the
Algero-Tunisian border,
Tabarka seduces with
its atypical charm. Every
summer its red-tiled roofs
attract a lot of foreign tourists but also a fair number of
Tunisians looking for calm and relaxing moments. The
rest of the year, Tabarka enjoys a peaceful existence, lost
between mimosas and eucalyptus trees.
It is true that this small town has everything to
fascinate visitors in search of a unique cultural
experience. Ideally situated between sea and
mountains, Tabarka is wealthy. Its multicultural past
makes it an ideal destination for those who don’t
want to hit the beach everyday.
The coral, a highly coveted
resource
Anyone wandering through the city centre and
strolling in front of jewellery stores notes that coral
is widespread in Tabarka. Undoubtedly, coral trade is
linked to the historic wealth of the resort town.
The exploitation of this precious resource, which
made the wealth and the fame of the city, goes back
to Roman times. The port of Tabarka is one of the
vestiges of this era, the Romans built it in order to
ship coral, wood and cork cargoes abroad.
A few centuries later, Charles Quint acquired Tabarka’s
trading post. A powerful family from Geneva, the
Lomellini, was put at its head. They built the wellknown Genoese fort that sits on the top of an island’s
summit. Nowadays, this island is connected to the
shore. It is possible to visit this place using the road or
the trail that can be accessed from the beac h.
Finally, in the 18th century, France has the privilege of coral
fishing under the supervision of the Royal African
Company, which has market exclusivity until
decolonization. Since then, coral fishing is strictly regulated
and the exportation of raw branches is forbidden. However,
you can buy jewellery from Tabarka’s artisans.
Unique landscapes, at sea
and on land
La Gazelle 60 I
64
Tabarka is full of historical treasures, but one also
needs to put his head under water and admire all the
beauty of its landscapes. It is no coincidence that
Tabarka’s depths are known way beyond Tunisian
1
borders. Every year, several hundred divers come to
explore the twenty sites that are open to the public
between April and the end of October. Among the
spots that are worth a look, “the tunnels“. This site
contains about twenty tunnels that are 30 meters
long and in which divers can comfortably watch
morays, breams, rays and friendly large groupers.
Another popular site among divers, “the corridors“
made of colorful rocks arranged in series, where
langoustines and huge gorgons like to stroll.
Back on firm land, new landscapes are subjects of
admiration. Leave Tabarka without having seen the
needles is not an option. These monolithic stones of
about twenty meters were sculpted by erosion into
various original shapes. The Messaoud tower also
deserves special attention. Ancient cistern dating
back to Roman times, it was transformed into a
fortress by merchants from Marseille and Pisa
during the 12th century.
But the most beautiful natural spectacle in Tabarka
is certainly the sunset melting into the sea. For the
best view, climb the hill using the tourist road
towards Annaba. The heights offer a magnificent
view over Tabarka and the shore.
Focus on Tabarka Jazz Festival
Created in 1973 by Lotfi Belhassine, the Tabarka Jazz
Festival becomes within a few years an international
artistic event. The annual rendez-vous has put Tabarka
on the map and its slogan “I don’t want to stupidly
sunbathe“ expresses the intention to attract a new type
of tourists, more interested in culture than in white sand.
Artists from all around the world have performed in the
Basilica of Tabarka, including Billy Paul, Barbara
Hendricks, Kool & the Gang, Miles Davis and Claude
Nougaro, drawing bigger and bigger crowds each year.
However, the Tabarka Jazz Festival was cancelled
due to some difficulties, until 1997. Since 2012, the
festival is cancelled again, because of a lack of
support from the authorities. I