Gabes: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) delegation's visit to Tunisia's south-eastern governorates ended on Saturday in Matmata, in the governorate of Gabes, where the Dahar Geopark is located. The UNESCO delegation, comprising two experts, one French and one Belgian, visited the south-east of the country on May 21-25, as part of the evaluation of the technical file submitted by Tunisia at the end of November 2024, for the inclusion of the 'Dahar Geopark' in the UNESCO list of Global Geoparks.
According to Agence Tunis Afrique Presse, the Dahar Geopark is located in the south-east of Tunisia. The Dahar area covers three governorates, from Matmata (Gabes) to Dehiba (Tataouine), via Beni Khedache (Medenine). Gabes was the final stop on the inspection visit to the three southeastern governorates where the Dahar Geopark lies. The delegation visited on May 23-24 the mountainous region of Gabes and familiarised with its geological and heritage sites.
On the first day, they explored the Berber villages of Dekhilet Toujene and Zmert¨ne Kaf N'sour, visiting guest houses and hotels, as well as the region's rich heritage and traditional crafts. The second day was spent in the Matmata delegation, renowned for its troglodyte dwellings in the villages of Tamzret, Beni Aissa and Tijma in the new Matmata.
In a statement to TAP's correspondent in Gabes, Regional Tourism Commissioner in Gabes B©chir Gdiri voiced his wish that the Dahar Geopark would be included on the list of Global Geoparks, considering that this would help boost tourism in the region. Alternative tourism is a key vector for attracting 'a new clientele that prefers to stay in guest houses and rural residences and takes an interest in the cultural heritage of local communities," he asserted.
During their visit, the UNESCO representatives held working sessions with members of the national scientific commission, regional officials and civil society. They took note of the various tourist and heritage aspects of the whole Geopark Dahar region, with its many geographical and historical sites housing inns and rural residences, essential components of alternative tourism.
The inspection visit covered several geological and geographical sites in the regions of Tataouine, Medenine and Gabes, where they notably visited the Museum of the Memory of the Earth, housing fossils, notably of dinosaurs, dating back over 100 million years. The UNESCO experts are due to submit their report by September 2025.
The Dahar Geopark is one of 11 new applications for the designation of UNESCO Global Geoparks to be evaluated in 2025. The summary published on the UNESCO website describes a natural site that stretches from the Remada region in the south to the Matmata region in the north, passing through the Jebel Tebaga mountain range in M©denine and twelve communes. Collectively, the Geopark represents a transition between the Mediterranean coastal plains and the Sahara desert, giving it geological, ecological and cultural significance.
The Dahar Geopark records the last 250 million years of the Earth's history. There is great geographical diversity linked to petrological and mineralogical variations across the area, as well as a remarkable wealth of fossils, diagenetic transformations and geomorphology.
UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. A UNESCO Global Geopark uses its geological heritage, in connection with all other aspects of the area's natural and cultural heritage, to enhance awareness and understanding of key issues facing society, such as using our earth's resources sustainably, mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing natural hazard-related risks.