Testour

Testour was founded in the early seventeenth century by Muslims expelled from Spain, who laid it out on a Spanish grid rather than a Tunisian medina plan and built in a hybrid style. The Great Mosque of 1631 shows it clearly: a minaret with Andalusian tilework, Stars of David worked into the decoration, and a clock on the tower whose hands run anticlockwise, for which several explanations are offered and none confirmed.

Background

Testour sits on hills above the Medjerda Valley, 20 km south-west of Medjez-el-Bab, where roads from Tunis, Béja and the north of the country meet. In Roman times the town was called Tichilla, a name meaning green grass, since it lies where the Siliana valley opens out. Muslim and Jewish settlers from Andalusia later rebuilt it and gave its buildings and street plan their own character. Jewish pilgrims come to the tomb of Rabbi Fraji Chawat. Since 1967 the town has hosted an international festival devoted to Malouf and traditional Maghrebi music. The 2014 count gave a population of 13,397.

Source: Wikipedia, "Testour"

Highlights

• The Great Mosque - a 1631 building mixing Andalusian and Tunisian forms.
• The backwards clock - the minaret clock whose hands turn anticlockwise.
• The Spanish grid - a street plan laid out on Iberian rather than local lines.
• The Malouf tradition - the Andalusian music the town keeps, with a summer festival.

When to go

October to May is the most comfortable. The Malouf music festival falls in summer. Fridays are busy around the mosque.

Good to know

The mosque interior is closed to non-Muslims and the clock is seen from outside. The town is workaday and there is little else for visitors. Facilities are limited.

Nearby

Dougga is southwest, and Beja is northwest.

Key facts