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Where's the Party?
Douz is an oasis at the edge of the Sahara, where palm
trees out number people by 25 to 1 in a tiny population of
just 12,000. Each autumn, this swells dramatically as the
oasis hosts the four day International Festival of the
Sahara, a spectacular celebration of arts and traditions
of the desert people.
Dates for 2001
The dates for 2001 are November 8 -11th two weeks before Ramadam.
What Happens at the Festival?
Mesmerising music and feats of dare and dexterity with vibrant
costumes, belly dancers, and acrobatics will behold the onlooker.
Performances include the “hair dance” of beautiful
long tressed ladies thrashing their long hair into the sand
to driving percussion and drums. Events include horse racing,
camel fights and rabbit chases, greyhound races, traditional
poetry, music and fantasias as well as public marriages.
The festival is a tribute to the spirit of the Sahara drawing
in performers and audiences from all across North Africa.
This small Saharan oasis buzzes with life as bartering men
form a sea of bobbing white-headclothes in the beautiful square.
The event coincides with the date harvest and also features
a large market selling hundreds of traditional food produce
and craft.
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