Maamoura

Maamoura

El Maâmoura is a town and commune in the Nabeul Governorate, in the Cap Bon Peninsula. The town takes its name from nearby Ras Maâmoura, although it is known to tourists mainly for its long, sandy beaches. According to Lucette Valensi, a historian specializing in Mediterranean culture, Maamoura was founded 800 years ago by three men: two Moroccan men and a Meccan man called Baâtout. The majority of the inhabitants of Maâmoura are therefore descendants of these men. La lagune d'El Maâmoura also known as Sebkhet Sidi Ahmed Ben Daoued, an area of 94 hectares of extensive saltmarsh, is part of a 504-hectare protected ecosystem, together with three other saltmarshes north of Korba, which has been designated a RAMSAR site and an Important Bird Area by BirdLife. It is set in a depression along the coast, separated from the sea by a dune belt and a sandy beach. This dune belt helps to stabilize the beach and protects the agricultural land beyond the lagoon. Together, the lagoons are home to more than 20 000 waterbirds, and several species account for more than 1% of the population. Pink Flamingos and White Storks can be seen in the area in late summer. In winter, the lagoons are filled with wintering ducks and teals, and in spring large numbers of breeding birds settle here, while others stop here before heading on to their Eurasian nesting grounds. El Maâmoura and the other lagoons are also an important stopover for birds of prey, together with the tip of Cap Bon, it is the last stopover where birds concentrate before crossing the Mediterranean.