Hamet Jerid

Hamet Jerid (or simply el-Hamma), also spelled Hamet Djerid (Arabic: حامة الجريد, French: El Hamma du Jérid), is an oasis town and municipality in the Djerid region in southwest Tunisia. As of 2014, it had a population of 6,467.

The oasis's palm grove has been exploited since the Roman times. It was supplied by about twenty springs, six of which were hot springs; some had chlorinated, sodium-rich, and sulfurous water. Until recently, people still visited to take baths. Now, the springs have been replaced by modern deep wells. The modern palm grove of El Hamma, created in the 20th century, is exclusively planted with the date palm cultivar that produces deglet nour.

The town has been mentioned in historical sources since the early Middle Ages as one of the four metropolitan cities of the region of Castillia. In the 9th century, Arab Geographer Ya'qubi wrote: "The cities of Castillia are four, situated in a vast land of palm and olive trees. The greater city is Tozeur, where the workers reside; the second is known as el-Hamma, the third Thiges, and the fourth Nefta."