TAWZAR

also spelled Tozeur, Latin Thusuros, also called Jarid, oasis, west-central Tunisia. It is located to the south of Tunisia's steppe region in the jarid (palm) country, which displays a colourful landscape marked by numerous shatts (saline depressions) and palm groves. The town is situated on the isthmus that separates the shatts of al-Jarid and al-Gharsah, and it is referred to as the gate of the desert. Tawzar was an important Numidian town on the ancient caravan route between Vescra (Biskra, now in Algeria) and Tacape (Qabis), in Tunisia. In the 14th century it was an active marketplace, and it has always been a centre of Berber resistance to Arabization in Tunisia. The characteristic architecture of the region is displayed in the decorated facades of Tawzar's traditional buildings, often of yellow bricks laid in relief forming stylized geometric patterns. This is seen in Sidi 'Abid Mosque, the zawiyah (seat of a religious fraternity) Sidi Muldi, the Great Mosque built in 1030, and the marabout (holy man) tomb of Sidi 'Ali Abu Lifah, which was built in 1282. The region in which Tawzar is situated is known for its mirages, which are caused by the warm air and the glittering mineral salts of the shatts and which often sent early caravans astray. The region produces two varieties of high-quality dates that have constituted its main exports since the 11th century, together with handwoven rugs and hand-fashioned silver jewelry. Pop. (1989 est.) 24,775.