The Garden of Whispers (Le Jardin des Murmures)

At Dar Jbel, the garden is becoming a work of art. Trees carry texts, herbs tell stories, voices rise among the olive trees. On 16 October 2026, the house will open this project for the first time to artists, curators and cultural professionals.

​

What is the Garden of Whispers?

The Garden of Whispers is an artistic and literary project born at Dar Jbel in 2025. It starts from a simple question: how do you tell the story of a place other than by describing it?

​

It is neither a decorative garden nor a botanical trail. It is an author's garden. Every plant becomes a character, and every visitor becomes a reader. People come here to walk, read, listen, sit under a tree, or simply do nothing.

 

Seven trees, seven plants, seven fables

Seven trees form the first landmarks of the Garden: the olive, the fig, the bitter orange, the pomegranate, the almond, the carob and the cypress. Each one speaks in the first person and carries its own confidence.

​

Lower down grow the intimate voices: rosemary, thyme, jasmine, sage, mint, lemon verbena and myrtle. For each of these plants, Amel Djait has written a fable, weaving together old knowledge, Tunisian customs and imagination. These fables are already offered to Dar Jbel's guests, printed on literary cards and given with an aromatic plant from the garden.

​

At the heart of the Garden lies SELEM, a labyrinth traced among the olive trees, whose name means peace. It is the first labyrinth in Tunisia.

​

What is the Invisible Museum of Zhar?

The Invisible Museum is a concept created by Amel Djait: a museum without walls or display cases, whose collections are gestures, scents, skills and voices. It does not preserve these memories by locking them away, but by keeping them alive.

​

Its first chapter is devoted to zhar, orange blossom water. Every spring on Cap Bon, bitter orange blossoms are picked by hand and then distilled. Zhar perfumes festive pastries, soothes children and refreshes the hands of guests at the doorstep. It is handed down from generation to generation, along with the still and the family secrets.

At the Invisible Museum of Zhar, you do not look at orange blossom water behind glass: you receive it on your hands. Its first gesture is the Mrach Circle, where the water is poured from the mrach, the traditional sprinkler flask, from hand to hand, from one guest to the next.

​

Other invisible museums will follow, devoted to other plant memories of Tunisia.

​

Why a preview during the Biennale de Paris in Tunis?

The Biennale de Paris takes place in Tunis from 10 to 17 October 2026. Its visit to Dar Jbel on 16 October is an opportunity to present the Garden of Whispers to contemporary art and cultural professionals, from Tunisia and abroad. The project carries a conviction: Tunisia's living memory, its gestures and its scents, can on its own become a reason to travel.

​

Who is Amel Djait?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amel Djait is the founder and director of Dar Jbel. A print and radio journalist (Mosaïque FM, Express FM), founder of 1001Tunisie and creator of the podcast DAR, la maison qui parle (DAR, the house that speaks), she has published books on Tunisian land and heritage in collaboration with GIZ. For twenty years, she has been telling the story of Tunisia through articles, broadcasts, books and podcasts. With the Garden of Whispers, the land becomes the page.

​

How to visit the Garden of Whispers

The Garden of Whispers can be discovered at Dar Jbel during a stay or an experience, by reservation. To receive the full project file, write to contact@darjbel.com.

​

Frequently asked questions

• Where is the Garden of Whispers?

At Dar Jbel, in Bir Bouregba, in the countryside of Hammamet, on Cap Bon (Nabeul governorate, Tunisia).

• Is the Garden of Whispers open to the public?

For now, it can be discovered during a stay or an experience at Dar Jbel, by reservation. Opening it to the public (schools, students, people of Cap Bon) is one of the project's next steps.

• What is zhar?

Zhar is orange blossom water, made by distilling the blossoms of the bitter orange tree. On Cap Bon, making it is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.

​

What is SELEM?

SELEM is Dar Jbel's labyrinth, traced among the olive trees at the heart of the Garden of Whispers. Its name means peace.

​

How can I support the Garden of Whispers?

Foundations, patrons and institutions can write to contact@darjbel.com to receive the presentation file.

 

Contact: contact@darjbel.com · WhatsApp +216 29 965 177