Tamerza Oasis

Severe floods in 1969 damaged its mud-brick buildings and forced residents to abandon the old settlement. The roofless village now stands across the riverbed from the newer town.

Tamerza is roughly 50 kilometers from Tozeur in southwestern Tunisia. It is commonly visited on the same mountain-oasis route as Chebika and Midès.

Yes, a spring-fed waterfall and canyon sit beside the palm-filled oasis. Water volume varies by season, so the cascade can look much stronger after wetter conditions.

The settlement was known as Ad Turres during the Roman period. Its position near the Algerian frontier and the Atlas-Sahara transition gave it strategic as well as agricultural importance.