After years of drought that turned verdant mountainsides pale yellow, the hills surrounding the Medjerda river in Tunisia’s north-west are coming back to life in a reminder of why the popular romantic poet Nizar Qabbani referred to this North African country as “the green Tunisia”.
With a climate and water resources favourable for agriculture, the north-west region has attracted settlement throughout Tunisia's history, particularly so Testour. The city of about 13,000 people, standing 70 to 90 metres above the Medjerda and surrounding meadows and natural springs, is known for a rich history that reflects Tunisians’ complex identity.
Originally named Tichilla – meaning green grass – by the Romans, the city and its agriculture flourished following the arrival in the 17th century of the Moriscos, Muslims and Jews from Spain's Andalusia region who fled after King Philip III attempted to force their conversion to Christianity.
At least 80,000, both Muslims and Jews, chose to relocate to Tunisia where the ruler under the Ottoman Empire, Othman Dey, allowed them to choose where they wanted to settle. As the majority were farmers they chose the north-west, particularly Testour, as their new home.
Testour is now a landmark of Tunisia’s Andalusian heritage, which is visible in its architecture, malouf music, food, clothes, family names and even the fairer skin and eye colours of some residents.
But it is the pomegranate, called the “fruit of heaven” by locals, that has been adopted as the symbol of the city's pride in its heritage. Pomegranate farming thrived with new strains and cultivation methods brought by the Moriscos. To celebrate the harvest season, the city holds a festival every last week of October and first week of November that draws Tunisians from across the country,
Farmer Rachid Soussi, 80, a local municipality official who was involved in launching the festival in 2016, said the people of Testour see the pomegranate as a symbol of resilience and beauty.
“When Andalusians came to Testour in 1609, they brought lots of their local agricultural produce, particularly pomegranate due to the resistance of its peel to external factors,” Mr Soussi told The National.
Mr Soussi said he considers the pomegranate a national agricultural asset that deserves to have a festival in its honour. “This festival is at the same time agricultural and cultural for the lively atmosphere it gives to the city every harvest season,” he said.
The festival usually coincides with schools' winter break – perfect timing for parents wanting to take their children on a trip.
Besides strolling along the dozens of pomegranate stalls set up along the narrow streets of Testour's centre, visitors can explore the alleyways of the old quarter and enjoy the many surviving examples of Andalusian architecture, such as the city's Great Mosque. They can watch boxing and taekwondo matches held in front of the mosque, in a nod to the bullfights that the Moriscos organised there hundreds of years ago, and enjoy malouf performances by Tunisian musicians from across the country.
Although Tunisia's north-west has not featured heavily in the government's tourism promotion plans it has become a popular destination thanks to events such as the pomegranate festival. Almost 300,00 people attended this year, according to authorities, which Mr Soussi said was a success and motivation for the younger generation to ensure its continuity.
Among the visitors was Wajih Fadhlaoui, who sees the festival as a chance to teach his children about their country's rich history. Originally from the nearby city of Tibar, he now lives in the capital Tunis but makes a point of visiting Testour with his family.
“It is a good chance to both have a taste of this region’s famous fruit and most importantly to teach the kids about their country’s Andalusian history and monuments, which whether we like it or not is an indivisible part of our history,” he told The National as he bought his three-year-old daughter Ranim a cup of pomegranate juice.
“Pomegranate is a fruit that children generally like and once we tell them that there is a city in Tunisia that celebrates it every year, a door opens for them to become intrigued about where it came from, its origin and what kind of significance it has in the country’s history.”
Fathia, the wife of a farmer, said she has been coming to the festival every year with her family to sell pomegranate fruit and products such as juice and jam that she makes.
“It was inevitable for our family to work in this field,” Fathia told The National as she squeezed out juice for a customer, describing pomegranate cultivation as “the craft of the ancestors”.
Her nephew Mouadh, 20, said he boasts about the quality of Testour's pomegranates wherever he goes.
“This is the best pomegranate in our country,” he told The National as he gestured to passers-by to come and sample the family's produce.
“I have a passion for this craft and I always make sure to be present from the moment the harvest starts in our fields until this festival ends.”
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Honeymoonish
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Kandahar%20
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The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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