DJERBA, Tunisia: Pilgrims arrived yesterday at Tunisia’s Ghriba synagogue, the oldest in Africa, expressing hope that this year would mark a turning point for the ritual despite a rise in unrest since the 2011 revolution.
The three-day pilgrimage is taking place amid tight security, with reinforcements deployed around Djerba.
More than a dozen army trucks were stationed at Ghriba itself, where an Al Qaeda attack in 2002 killed 21 people, with police checkpoints set up around the nearby Jewish neighbourhoods and on the road linking the airport to the tourist zone.
Organisers hope to welcome at least 1,000 pilgrims tomorrow, the main day of the pilgrimage.
AFP
