Chenini

Chenini is built along the top and sides of a ridge west of Tataouine, its houses cut into the rock and its ghorfas, the barrel-vaulted storage cells of the region, stacked along the cliff below a ruined kasbah at the crest. A white mosque stands apart on a spur, and near it is the mosque of the Seven Sleepers with its long graves, attached to a local version of the sleepers legend. Around 500 people still lived in the old village in 2023, many in modernised cave houses, and about 120 families in New Chenini nearby.

What to look for

• The ridge village - houses cut into the rock along the top and flanks of a ridge.
• The ghorfas - vaulted storage cells stacked along the cliff.
• The white mosque - the mosque standing alone on a spur below the village.
• The Seven Sleepers - the mosque with unusually long graves and its legend.

When to go

October to April is comfortable; summer in the Dahar is extreme. Late afternoon light on the ridge is the best. Mornings avoid the tour buses.

Practical notes

Most of the old village is abandoned and buildings are unstable. Guides and children at the parking ask for money persistently. The climb through the village is steep and exposed.

Nearby

Douiret is south, and Tataouine is east.

Key facts