Houmt Souk — "market neighbourhood" in Arabic — is the island's main town and the place that gives Jerba its character beyond the beach resorts. The medina is compact and genuinely functional: its souks sell cloth, handwoven blankets in Berber patterns, pottery, and the kind of everyday goods that serve a working community rather than a tourist trade. Wander the alleys around the central market early in the morning and you'll see it at its best.
The port is a short walk from the medina centre, and the wooden fishing boats — traditional painted feluccas alongside more modern vessels — still make it a working harbour. The catch of the day is octopus, hung to dry on lines in the sun, which you'll see across the island.
The mosques of Houmt Souk are notable for their unusual form: squat, whitewashed, and windowless, with rounded domes rather than minarets, they were designed to double as refuges and storage in times of siege. The Mosque of the Strangers (Jama el Ghuraba) is the most striking example. Non-Muslims cannot enter, but the exteriors are worth seeing.