When people think of the Arab world, women are often wrongly associated with absolute restrictions, isolation, or cultural repression. However, there are remarkable exceptions. One of them lies south of the Mediterranean, off the coast of Tunisia: the island of Djerba.
📍 Where is Djerba?
Djerba is the largest island in North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabès, in southeastern Tunisia. It’s known for its beaches, traditional whitewashed architecture, and its cultural mix of Arabs, Berbers, and Jews.
What many don’t know is that Djerba also represents a more open and relaxed version of what is usually imagined when talking about Arab communities.
👩🦰 And what about women?
Women in Djerba—like in much of Tunisia—enjoy more legal and social freedoms than in most of the Arab world. On the island, it’s common to see women:
- Taking part in commerce.
- Working in hotels, restaurants, and tourism-related activities.
- Choosing not to wear a headscarf if they wish.
- Interacting freely with men, within certain cultural frameworks.
Tunisia is, in fact, the Arab country with the most progress in women’s rights: abortion is legal, inheritance laws have been partially reformed to allow equity, and the family code is based on a secular structure.
🕊️ How liberal is it?
Djerba is not a hotspot for wild nightlife, nor a destination for sex tourism. But it does offer a more open and relaxed environment compared to countries like Saudi Arabia or Egypt. In tourist areas such as hotels, private parties, or seaside cafés, interactions between genders are natural and part of everyday life.
European tourism—especially French and Italian—has influenced the island’s social life, creating an atmosphere of cultural tolerance without completely breaking with tradition.
✈️ How to get there?
Djerba is served by Djerba–Zarzis International Airport (DJE), which receives flights from various European and Arab countries. It’s also accessible from Tunis, the capital, by road and ferry.
- No complicated visas are required for many nationalities (depending on country of origin).
- Prices are relatively low.
- Local hospitality is well-known, and tourism is a major part of the island’s economy.
❌ What it’s not
Djerba is not a “pleasure island,” nor a secret community of Arab women seeking sexual relationships with foreigners. That image is born of Westernized fantasies and does not reflect any current reality in the Arab world.
However, it is a place where one can experience genuine and respectful encounters with Arab women who live their identity with autonomy, dignity, and active presence in society.
✅ Why choose Djerba?
Because it is one of the few places in the Arab world where the following converge:
- Arab cultural identity
- Visible and active female presence
- Ongoing civil freedoms
- Natural beauty and logistical accessibility
If you are looking to understand the feminine soul of the Arab world without filters or clichés—not through fantasy, but through respect and reality—Djerba may be the best place to begin.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 