Gabes

Gabès is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès in North Africa.

Gabès is unique, you will find mountains, the sea, the oasis and the desert here. It's also famous for it's seaside oasis, horse drawn carriage rides are a unique way of experiencing it.

One of the main sights in Gabès is the Mosque and tomb of Sidi Boulbaba, the Prophet Mohammed's barber, which features a beautiful courtyard with inscriptions, patterns and tiles.

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions is located next door to the Mosque.

Gabès has many beaches, the best parts are in the south of the city and include Lemawa or Lemaya beaches.

The town Matmata is a popular places to visit, it is known for it's underground "troglodyte" structures and Berber heritage.

Chenini du Gabès is an oasis village, around 4km from Gabès. It is famous for it's basketwork.

Not to be confused with Chenini du Gabès, Chenini is a ruined Berber village in the Tataouine district in southern Tunisia (around 2 hours away from Gabès). Chenini was a fortified granary, built on a hilltop to help protect it from raiding parties. The oldest structures on the hillside date back to the 12th century. Chenini and the surrounding Tataouine district were used as a backdrop in the Star Wars film series.

Gabès is known for it's traditional baskets and henna, which is used for hair colouring and temporary body art decoration.

Tunisian food is quite spicy, and harissa, a hot red pepper sauce is frequently used. Tuna, eggs, olives, herbs and spices also feature prominently in Tunisian cooking.

The national dish of Tunisia is 'couscous'. Typical Tunisian dishes include 'brik' (fried Malsouka dough stuffed with tuna and egg), 'tajin' (similar to quiche), 'shorba' (soups), 'marqua' (stews) and 'shakshouka' (ratatouille).

Cruise ships dock at the Port of Gabès, which is within walking distance to town.

There are some stalls selling local crafts such as handmade baskets near to the cruise terminal.