We are pleased to announce that ASOR has received a $245,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) for a heritage restoration and outreach project at the site of Ksar Douiret in Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia. Ksar Douiret is one of the most iconic fortified ksour of southern Tunisia. For at least a thousand years, it was a critical stopping point on a trans-Saharan trade route stretching from the Mediterranean to the Niger River valley. Compared to other ksar communities nearby, Douiret is characterized by an exceptionally large concentration of troglodyte homes and public structures carved into a particularly thick horizontal band of high-quality limestone. The ksar and village are in the Tataouine Governorate, and this iconic heritage is known to much of the world through the Star Wars movies. However, the importance of Amazigh culture and heritage has also been obscured by the Star Wars brand.

The condition of the access path and architecture on the upper level of the ksar. Photo Credit: ASOR.