Šot el Džerid ili Veliko slano jezero je ustvari slana pustinja veličine oko 7000km2. Nalazi se na jugu Tunisa blizu granice sa Alžirom.
Chot el jerid or Great salt lake is actually salt desert that covers 7000km2. It is situated in south Tunisia, close to Algerian border.
Pejzaž ove slane pustinje se vremenom menja. Na primer, 2006. godine Šot el Džerid je bio nepregledno belo prostranstvo na kom su se mestimično zadržavale roze ili svetlo plave barice posle retkih kiša. U tim malim vodenim površinama mogli su se videti sićušni organizmi koji haotično plivaju.
Landscape of this salt desert is changing over the years. For example in 2006. Chot el Jerid was white immensity where small pink and light blue ponds stayed after rare rains. In those small ponds tiny little creatures, that swim chaotic, can be seen.
Danas 2010. godine belu slanu koru zavejao je pesak te je kraj dobio izgled prave peščane pustinje. Zimi su padavine obilnije pa se teren raskvasi i postaje opasna žitka masa. Preko Šot el Džerida izgrađen je put tako da se sada ovo prostranstvo može bezbedno preći.
Today in 2010. send has covered white salt crust so the area looks like an ordinary send desert. In a winter time there is more rain so the terrain becomes wet and soft dangerous mass. The road over Chot el jerid has been built and all that enormous space can be safely gone over.
Vožnja mimo asfaltnog puta može biti kobna jer meka površina slanih naslaga može progutati one koji preko nje prelaze. Priča se da je Šot el Džerid tokom istorije „ progutao“ mnoge karavane sa kamilama, tovarima i ljudstvom.I danas kada se vozite preko ove ravnice na jednom mestu u daljini vidi se autobus koji je ostao zaglavljen u soli i blatu pre mnogo godina.
Driving over the surface of the salt lake other than over asphalt road can be fatal because soft surface of salt layers can swallow down the ones who are passing over. As the story has it, in previous times Chot el Jerid „swallowed down“ numerous caravans with camels, goods and people. Even today when you drive across this plain of send, at one point in the distance, you can see a bus which stayed stuck in salt and mud long time ago.
Na severo zapadu Šot el Džerida nalazi se oaza Tozer koja je nekada bila važno stajalište na putu karavana sa robljem i robom koji su pristizali iz crne Afrike. U Tozeru postoji aerodrom pa se u ovaj grad može lako i brzo doći. Iz Tozera se mogu lako obilaziti pustinjski lokaliteti.
On the north-west side of Chot el Jerid there is an oasis Tozeur which was throughout history important station on the road of caravans that were coming from deep Africa bringing slaves and goods. Tozeur has an airport so it can be easily directly reached. It is good starting point for people who wants to explore desert.
Na jugu, nalazi se oaza Duz koja se još zove i „ Vrata Sahare“ jer od nje počinje Veliki orijentalni Erg – more saharskog peska. Dok se vozite preko Šot el Džerida u daljini sa jedne strane se vidi venac litica.Vrh tih litica je zapravo obala nekadašnjeg mora koje je postojalao na mestu današnje pustinje i bilo povezano sa Sredozemnim morem, a slana kora po kojoj se vozite je zapravo dno tog nekadašnjeg mora. Na stajalištima Šot el Džerida se može kupiti kristal „Pustinjska Ruža“ koji je veoma lepog i dekorativnog izgleda i najpoznatija urma na svetu Dglet Nur.
Fotografija sa čamcem i katarkom koji su ostali bez mora je uspomena koja će vam krasiti dane i donositi sećanja na odbegla mora.
In the south of salt lake there is oasis Douz also known as „Gateway to Sahara“ since Great Oriental Erg (the sea of Saharan send) starts from that point. While you are driving over Chot el Jerid you can see on one side in the distance chain of cliffs. The top of those cliffs used to be shore of a sea that existed instead of today`s desert, the sea that was connected with Mediterranean sea. The salt crust that you are driving over is actually seabed of that long ago gone sea. At stopping-places along Chot el Jerid you can by crystal called „Desert Rose“. It is very beautiful and can be great decorative souvenir. Also you should by the most famous date Deglet Nour. Photograph with a boat and mast which stayed without sea will be a remembrance that will adorn your days and bring up to you memories of runaway seas.
