The Ksar Jouamaa tourist cottage
A 17th century Berber cottage
The Ksar Jouamaa Berber cottage , located on a steep peak on three of its sides, is an old attic dating from the 17th century. Indeed, it is in the region of Béni Khédache (Médenine) famous for its Ksours.
It must be said that it is ranked among the best “mountain ksour-granaries” despite the defensive nature of its location.
Thus, in the time of the Berbers, it was used to store wheat, barley and other foodstuffs. It had the function of a souk and offered accommodation to passers-by via the Ghorfas (rooms or cells).
A cottage of today
Today, the Ksar Jouamaa tourist cottage has a tourist vocation through its restaurant, its tea room but also its ghorfas for accommodation. Indeed, it offers an exceptional panoramic view of the village below and an expanse of magnificent landscapes. But the most beautiful remains the breathtaking sunset over the mountains that can be admired from the Ksar. Rectangular but irregular in shape, it is divided into two parts: an old one on the southwest side and accessible by the skifa, and another more recent one on the northeast, open on the access track to the ksar.
Discover it
The Ksar Jouamaa tourist cottage was founded around 1770 on the ruins of another ksar (Rahala). An extension beyond the covered entrance (skifa) takes place at the beginning of the French protectorate.
On January 10, 2020, the Tunisian government proposed the site for future classification on the UNESCO World Heritage List. On January 21, 2021, an order made it a listed monument.
The Ksar offers Jouamaa offers the following services: accommodation Bed and breakfast, “ghorfas troglodytes” comfortably furnished, “Typical local cuisine” catering, organic products, coffee, pro astronomical telescope, parking area for motorhomes, hikes, space for events and/or parties, exhibitions, visits to water sources, and very soon a swimming pool (the only one within a radius of 150 km).
À l’aube de l’éloge de Bienvenue, au cœur de cette immensité lointaine et des entrailles et saveurs de la Tunisie, où tout n’est que calme et sérénité, où le temps reste suspendu, se dresse le Ksar Jouamaa, une forteresse de pierres taillées de gorfa, tels des refuges pour les visteurs en quête de paix.
L’horizon qui s’étend à perte de vue, à travers les mailles de pierres, laisse la sagesse, la prospérité et le néant bienveillant colorier le silence mais laisse aussi apparaître la découverte de soi, et l’authenticité et l’envoutement d’un instant. La beauté de l’essentiel parsemé de suspensions lunaires entourée de vide, fait de ce lieu un endroit salvateur et magique qui promet de sa légèreté, des moments uniques pour celles et ceux qui rêvent de dépaysement et de renaissance infinis.