Hyphaene thebaica - The doum palm, also referred to as the gingerbread tree, is native to the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. It can tolerate hot and dry regions with access to groundwater; wadis and oases offer ideal environments. The palm produces a fruit covered in a edible rind with a gingerbread taste, a reflection of its English name. The fronds are woven together by the local population for wide variety of uses; sleeping mats, baskets, wicker furniture, and roof thatching.
- - - - -
Tunisia had been ruled as an autonomous and semi-independent state within the Ottoman Empire and enjoyed the ability to self-govern itself. In an attempt to modernize Tunisia through social and economic reforms, Muhammad III as-Sadiq established closer ties with Europe. Borrowing heavily from European banks, he brought on a financial crisis in 1869 and forced Tunisia into bankruptcy. France invaded Tunisia in 1881 and created a protectorate lasting until 1956, when Tunisia became independent.
