In 2014 a French-Tunisian art collective invited 150 artists from 30 countries to paint the walls of Er Riadh, the village near the El Ghriba Synagogue. The result — Djerbahood — transformed a quiet, whitewashed village into one of the largest outdoor galleries in the Arab world, with murals ranging from tiny to monumental covering houses, shops, and courtyard walls throughout the neighbourhood.
The styles are as varied as the artists: cartoon characters sit next to realist portraits of local faces, abstract geometry beside figurative scenes from Tunisian history. Some of the original murals have faded and been replaced by new commissions, so the village remains a living project rather than a fixed gallery.
It works best as a companion to a visit to El Ghriba Synagogue — wander the village streets after visiting the synagogue, and the murals reveal themselves around corners and down dead-end alleys. Early morning is quieter and the light is better for photography.