DOUZ is a small town in south-central

Tunisia, often known as the "Gateway

to the Sahara", due to it’s popularity

as a destination for tourists looking to

experience the desert, either by

camel or four-wheel drive.

The town of Douz has grown up

around a large palm oasis that stands

on the northern fringe of the Sahara.

As a major palm oasis it is a large

producer of "diglat noor" dates.

Surrounded by little other than desert

and scrub land, it was an important

stop on the trans-Saharan caravan

routes. Today tourists come in numbers,

many from the coastal resorts,

to get a taste of the mighty Sahara for

themselves.