Sicilian exhibit celebrates Tataouine's desert scenery and mores
Tunis , July 3, 2007- (TunisiaOnline)-- An exhibit celebrating Tataouine's Sahara was held in Ragusa , Sicily , at the Donnafugata castle, which was built by the Arabs, 700 Years ago. The castle, formerly named ‘Ain El Chifa' (the source of healing) is nowadays a UNESCO protected monument.
The event which is jointly organized by the “Friends of Tataouine” and the “Friends of the Ragusa Sahara”, sheds light on various aspects of Tataouine's natural beauty and mores, featuring fossils, seaweeds, meteorite fragments and some photographs portraying the Sahara and its sandy dunes, its clay houses named "ksours", as well as the picturesque mountain villages surrounding it.
Some hand-made items such as Berber carpets dubbed "margoums" and clay utensils were also featured under a traditional tent set in the main patio of the Donnafugata castle.
Several presentations discussing such issues as "The presence of Man in the desert", "The fight against desertification" and "Saharan civilizations" were given in the presence of a large Italian public.
The desert landscapes of Tataouine, inspired the US film director Georges Lucas to shoot large parts of the first episode of his block buster “Star Wars” in the southern Tunisian city.
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