As the town grew in size, the denizens built a city of brick in the 15th century with a unique mixture of sand, water, and wood ash from the date palms. Today the medina of Tozeur is something that has no equal in the Maghreb for brick artwork. The walls even of modern buildings are made using this unique sandy-gray brick, often painstakingly arranged in traditional Berber, or Amazigh, patterns.

Arab engineers during the Middle Ages built sophisticated water engines which brought streams from far away into the oasis, and rather than for trade, the city became an important rest stop along the caravan routes. The water allowed a flourishing textile industry to develop, as camel wool could be washed in the water to improve its quality as clothing and for carpets, which are still made there today by hand and wooden loom.

“Preservation of the medina is going okay,” explained a host at the Society for the Preservation of the Tozeur Medina. “We get very little from the government but tourist money helps. Much of this was built in the 15th century, though Tozeur was not a stop on the Hajj pilgrimage”.

Though beautiful, many citizens see hard times ahead for the unique city. Locals express concern for economic hardship, even while they desire to keep the city’s one-of-a-kind building techniques of brick and palm-wood doors alive.