What do phosphate mining and a beautiful love story between a beautiful girl and a brave young man have in common? The answer is located near the city of Gafsa, Tunisia.
After leaving Gafsa and driving quite a bit, you see that the landscape has become beige-brown. There are only rocks around. That means that you have arrived at one of the most famous sights of Gafsa, Selja Gorges. It looks like a row of light brown rocks, slightly colored red, which are neatly separated by a small straight passage. The sharp edges of the rocks seemed to have been carefully polished. They are even and almost smooth. Having parted, the rocks exposed a beautiful rock formation with many bizarre patterns. An endless winding path goes deep, and at the top-huge, age-old, reddish rocks. An endless winding path goes deep, while at the top are huge centuries-old reddish rocks.
If you raise your head, you see the sun, the heat. At the same time, it is light enough and fresh down there. It`s the best way to hide from the scorching sun. The gorges are quite narrow, so they are even compared to the path left after a lash.
According to a local legend, the gorge appeared there not by chance. It is the trail left by two lovers. One of the Sultan's beautiful concubines fell in love with a warrior. He decided to rescue his beloved from the harem and run away with her. However, impassable mountains stood in the way of the lovers. The way back meant certain death. So the only way they had was to go forward. Then the warrior took out his sword and cut a passage with it. He also cut out a bed for the night.
At the end of the 19th century, the Frenchman Philip Thomas discovered deposits of phosphates in these places. Ten years later, active exploration and production of natural materials began. The study center was built nearby in 1958. To facilitate the delivery of materials, a railway was built in the gorge. It offers a beautiful view of the red rocks of bizarre shapes.
Selja Gorges will be one of the highlights of your trip, both in color and impressions.