Gafsa: Underrated Paradise

Gafsa has to be one of the best kept secrets of the African continent. Most people tend to simply pass it over in favor of other ‘exotic’ destinations like Tozeur or Douz. True it is cities that appears to be crumbling and needs to be promoted more aggressively but it have some really endearing spots.

Wandering around the Kasbah area and going past its butterscotch walls we could see the devastation it had witnessed thanks to World War II. Like a sturdy sentinel, though, it stands tall and proud guarding the town. Situated on an oasis the Kasbah looks picture perfect. On the brink of an oasis is a little café where we had sipped hot coffee and snacked on muffins.

The Medina in Gafsa was every bit as interesting as the one in Marrakesh although smaller. Both Sue and I got lost a couple of times there!. A nice old man pointed the way out. We saw some really beautiful mosques on the way; I was especially impressed with the architecture of the Great Mosque which, I understand, enjoys pride of place in the Medina.

Another sight that impressed me – and Sue – greatly was the Roman pools housed in a rather ornate square. They reminded me of the Mughaloid hammams in Delhi and Fatehpur Sikri in India. Sue, who can never resist a chance to swim, dived right in. “It is so warm and pleasant!” she urged me to join her, an offer I smilingly declined.
For lunch we made our way back to the Kasbah towards the edge of the oasis. We noticed that most restaurants in Gafsa are for ‘men only’. Rather quaint in this day and age.
On our way back we passed by Place 7 Novembre, a historic square in one of the town’s main streets.

We also did some shopping for some delicacies at Gafsa’s main market reeking with exotics aromas and scents. We bought these yummy local cakes and later gorged on them. This tiny paradisiacal oasis is clearly underrated.