My antiquarian travel guide promises a lot. The clever internet even knows: that Tunisia is in the shape of Ksar (Speicherburg) Chenini has applied to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020. Let's hope for the best.
We wake up at our dream site at windy heights and watch the sun creep ever so slowly over the mountains, illuminating the caves and the white mosque. (Yes, we know that it is not the sun that creeps, but the earth that rotates!)
Quite early we gather our things and set off for the city, after all, we have noticed that in the morning the traders, self-proclaimed guides etc. are still leisurely scavenging and we have the sights undisturbed to ourselves.
We climb the slope, stroll through the alleys and enjoy the view. And as we look into the hinterland, the idea germinates to do a bigger round there and enjoy nature off the beaten track.
When you walk through a Ksar like this, our imagination does its well-known rounds: What will it have been like to live here? Nature is hard on the inhabitants, the inhospitable areas do not invite a work-life balance. On the one hand, the semi-nomadic population groups had to find shelter here, and when they were on the move, belongings and supplies had to have a place to be stored. Some 200 ghorfas, as the chambers are called, are still well preserved and are excellent for scrambling into and exploring.
We imagine donkeys packed sideways, dusty cooking areas, babies in back carriers and maybe even loud market cries. Someone is carrying water up the mountain, and in the distance we spot a leisurely approaching caravan. Immediately, a lively hustle and bustle begins in the Ksar, people are preparing for the arrival of this very caravan.
And us? As time travellers in the middle of it all. We pull out our smartphones, take photos of everything and later, on our laptops, we see that our cameras have only photographed old stones instead of a living crowd. So all we have left is our imagination.
However, we have more than enough of them, so we don't worry about pictures of old stones.
Merci for "travelling with us
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