Gellan
   Photo: gellan

On the south side of the island of Djerba in Tunisia is a very unusual place - the village of gellan. Its name translates from dzherbinskogo dialect as "pot" without reason - this place since ancient times was famous for its pottery. This is the only place in Djerba, where all the residents communicate with each other in Amazigh.

The local potters have special technology of pottery, which had previously kept secret - clay for future products dipped in salt water and kept there a certain time, or simply mixed with seawater. After kneading the clay to dry for several days. The finished product is sent to the dry one and a half or two months. Finally, the dried dishes poluvrytyh calcined in furnaces in the ground for four days. And now, as they were centuries ago, white clay mined at a depth of 80 meters.

In the village there are gellan little more than 450 potteries! It is not surprising that this village for centuries been a major supplier of ceramic tableware and other clay products throughout Tunisia. Due to its high quality to the end of the nineteenth century bey took the products of the village instead of a large part of the tax. The most popular and well-known form, became famous masters of this region - an amphora. In addition to this traditional vessel village gellan potters make cups, large jars, bowls, dishes, small vessels for the storage of spices, spices, vinegar and oil.

In the village is an ethnographic museum, which will certainly be interesting to see anyone. Here you can learn about the life of the local people - dzherbintsev. The exhibition presents objects from ceramics, examples of traditional dress and artistic jewelry.

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