More than 100 graffiti artists were invited to Tunisia as part of the Djerbahood project – an inventive rehabilitation initiative that uses street art to turn a dusty village into an inspiring open air gallery.

We have watched with great interest as Tunisia’s graffiti culture has grown since post-Jasmine revolution. Artists like VA-JO and El Seed have dazzled us with great designs, along with a unifying sociocultural message that spins the stereotype of the anarchist street artist.

And while the political landscape in Tunisia remains tenuous, graffiti artists appear to have significant freedom and support to share their work.

Related: Tunisia’s tallest minaret sprayed with El Seed Calligraffiti

In particular, 150 artists from 30 different countries were invited to participate in the Djerbahood, where they painted old, dilapidated and perfectly good buildings with their signature style. Famous Belgian artist ROA was among the artists whose playful work incorporates certain domed buildings into his pieces – like the large octopus with a bulbous head.

El Seed, who is Tunisian, was also present for the massive paint out. And we are also particularly enamored with the artist from Mexico, Curiot, who added a significant splash of color to the village.

The site of one of the world’s oldest and most famous synagogues, the El Ghriba synagogue, Djerba is the largest island of North Africa at 198 square miles.

Support for this inspiring project came from the Embassy of France in Tunisia, and Boga Cidre, Airbus, One Tech, Digard, SEH Legal and Yosr Ben Ammar.

A municipality in Morocco has similarly used graffiti in order to stem urban decay and to find idleness among the youth.

:: Djerbahood

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Mayor Ziad al-Hawwat has received great accolades for making Jbeil a pleasure for both local and foreigners to visit.

Whereas Beirut’s citizens are constantly fighting for every inch of green space as parking garages and shopping malls and other concrete monstrosities overwhelm the place, al-Hawwat has added an 18,000 square meter public park, planted trees and flowers, and even created a car-free zone from noon to midnight during the height of the tourist season.

This pedestrian zone gives safe access to the city’s numerous sites, including a Roman theater and an old sea fort, a Persian fort and a Crusader castle – all testaments to the city’s sinuous history.

And this completely shocked us: there are nine electric vehicles in the city that are used to shuttle tourists from parking garages to the old city, where they can stroll among the ancient marketplace.

Additional mass transit modeled after the French city of Carcassonne is also planned, according to deputy mayor Ayoub Barq, who told Al-Shorfa that the new system best matches the Lebanese city’s unique character.

Nor is the greening complete.

Jbeil’s municipality will spend a further $2 million to restore the facades of ancient buildings and renovate the marketplace in an effort to de-clutter the center and preserve it for posterity.

A citywide trash recycling program is also in the works.

“The award corresponds to the projects we are implementing and puts greater responsibilities on us,” Barq told the paper.

“It encourages us to work harder and [see to it that] civil society share in the responsibility so that Jbeil remains the center of attention of the Lebanese and tourists.”

This is refreshing talk in a country that, like Turkey, has pursued development at the cost of all else. Where money is more important that peace of mind, clean air, and navigable streets.

This is the Arab world’s best city for tourists. Now you might want to check out 10 of the best beaches!

:: Al-Shorfa

Image of Byblos or Jbeil, Shutterstock

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