This photo was taken on Tuesday 3 January 2023 in Chott El Jérid. It was during yet another inspection to choose the place where the tourist ecovillage Mars City would be built. Chott El Jérid is the name of the salt lake located in the South West Region of Tunisia, bordering Algeria, precisely El Jérid. This mysterious and desolate, but majestic and suggestive place, is almost 7,000 km² wide. Here, there is no form of life other than the particular bacteria that give the pink color to the very salty water mirrors scattered almost everywhere. According to studies conducted by NASA, it is the place that most resembles the planet Mars on Earth. This is where the name Mars City of the project comes from. I should mention that I crossed it on a scooter in August 1980 with three friends.

I am Jilani Khaldi, aka Jil Hammock, architect, programmer and author.