South-West · Tunisia
Tozeur
Date-palm capital — the Sahara's edge, brick-patterned medina and Star Wars sands.
Tozeur sits on the rim of Chott el Jerid, Tunisia's massive salt lake, and is the most refined oasis town in the country — an old caravan stop turned premium desert destination.
Its medina (Ouled el Hadef) is famous for its geometric brickwork — a 14th-century pattern unique in the Arab world.
From Tozeur you cross the Chott to the Sahara properly: the dunes around Ong Jemel, Mos Espa (the Tatooine slave-quarters set still standing), and the lush mountain oases northward.