Sources d'El Hamma (Gabès)

The thermal springs of El Hamma in the Gabès oasis region of southern Tunisia are among the hottest and most mineralised in North Africa, where chloride-rich water at around 53°C emerges from the earth in a spectacularly lush palm grove oasis on the edge of the Sahara desert. The springs have been used since antiquity — Roman thermae foundations are visible nearby — and continue to be enjoyed in traditional hammam facilities drawing visitors from across southern Tunisia and Libya. The extraordinary juxtaposition of hot springs, coastal oasis, Saharan desert, and the remarkable marine oasis of Gabès — the world's only coastal oasis — makes this one of the Mediterranean world's most dramatic thermal sites.