Sidi Mahrez Beach

Sidi Mahrez runs along the north-eastern coast of Djerba, an island off southern Tunisia connected to the mainland by a Roman causeway that is still in use. It is the island's longest beach, around twelve kilometres of pale sand with shallow warm water.

Djerba's history is unusually long and unusually continuous. The El Ghriba synagogue on the island claims foundations dating to the sixth century BC and is the site of an annual pilgrimage; the island holds what is generally described as the oldest continuous Jewish community in Africa, though it is now small. Djerba was inscribed by UNESCO in 2023 for its settlement pattern — a dispersed landscape of houses, mosques and cisterns adapted to an arid island.

The sea here is very shallow and very warm. The Gulf of Gabès to the south has the largest tidal range in the Mediterranean, and the water off Djerba warms to near thirty degrees in late summer, which is pleasant and unrefreshing in equal measure. The beach shelves so gently that wading a long way out is normal. Flamingos gather on the tidal flats at the island's south-western corner, and the Gulf of Gabès behind Djerba has the largest tidal range in the Mediterranean.

Development is a hotel zone along the north-east coast, built from the 1970s, with the working towns of Houmt Souk and Midoun inland. Tunisia's tourism fell sharply after attacks in 2015 and has recovered partially. The Ras Rmel sandbank off the north coast, sometimes called Flamingo Island, is a boat trip from Houmt Souk.

Twelve kilometres of shallow water reaching thirty degrees in late summer, which is pleasant and unrefreshing in equal measure, on an island holding the oldest continuous Jewish community in Africa. Wade with children, then leave the hotel zone: Houmt Souk's market and El Ghriba are the reason Djerba is a World Heritage site and the beach is not.