The destination of this trip was southern Tunisia, specifically the area around
the salt lake Chott Djerid, which some scholars think may be Lake Tritonis of antiquity, the famed
locale that ancient historians name in association with the North African Amazon tribes.
Then we went to the island Djerba where important Neolithic sites have been discovered.
Furthermore, we investigated the mountain region round Matmata and Tataouine to get to know
the original Berber culture. The Berbers are considered to be the aborigines in this region,
and up till now they have preserved structures which indicate that their society had once been
matriarchal, that means it was a society predominated by women. From the Middle Ages there are
accounts of Berber queens, so of the famous Kahina who had very successfully waged war
against the attacking Arabic tribes, and of Tin Hinan, who was the ancestress of the Tuareg.
In the mountains north of Tataouine we were able to investigate Stone Age rock paintings.
Sacred place of worship - the Belvedere in Tozeur
In Tozeur, the main place at the Chott Djerid, there exists a distinctive hill, named the Belvedere.
On top of the hill there is a platform with several outstanding hill formations, and a thermal spring.
It is obvious that it is a prehistoric place of worship.
The thermal spring perfectly fits into this picture - a Neolithic place of worship in connection with a sacred spring.
One of these striking rock formations shows a niche which obviously had been made artificially.
Here we were able to discover something exceptional. Mysterious human figures can be discerned
at the right side of the entry to this niche. They had been cut into the rock. The figures seem to
represent women with long gowns. A very similar rock engraving of a woman
I had discovered on the hill of Myrina castle on the Greek island Lemnos
which is also connected with the Amazons.
rock with artificial niche and rock engravings at the Belvedere in Tozeur
Neolithic site at Sedouikech on Djerba
In the southeastern part of the island Djerba at the village Sedouikech (also: Cedouikech)
we have discovered a Neolithic site.
There can be discerned two rows of monoliths which are arranged in a straight line.
Roughly in the center there is a rock with a presumably vulva-shaped hole which had been drilled
through the whole rock. A candle has recently been placed into the hole which makes it evident
that even today this rock is of ritual meaning.
sacred stone with candle at the Neolithic site in Sedouikech on Djerba
