Djerba’s Cultural Heart at Risk: Tourism, Neglect, and Climate Crisis Challenge a Mediterranean Heritage Gem
A multisector crisis threatens Djerba, one of the Mediterranean’s most diverse heritage sites. Mass tourism, weak heritage governance, and accelerating climate change converge to imperil centuries-old ways of life and landmark monuments. The fate of this island’s cultural landscape offers hard lessons for Thai coastal communities facing similar pressures.
Djerba sits off Tunisia’s southeastern coast, a crossroads of Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab influences. Its heritage treasures include the Sedouikech underground mosque, Saint Joseph’s Church, and the El Ghriba Synagogue—vital testaments to centuries of interfaith coexistence. Traditional dwellings and vernacular architecture—houmas, menzels, and houchs—reflect adaptation to the island’s climate and social life spanning generations.