Region of Matmata

Matmata

Just 45 kilometers from Gabés, the lunar landscape of the Matmata region might just as well be another planet. It’s no wonder that it became the home planet of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series. Here, the Berbers of Matmata went underground centuries ago to escape the summer heat. When you look across the landscape, it’s rather difficult to even notice that there are any homes around – if it weren’t for the TV antennas. These cave-like dwellings typically consist of a circular central courtyard dug out of the soft limestone, with the rooms tunneled off the perimeter.

Like most of the tourists visiting the area, we went into one of the homes that took visitors. The tall whitewashed stone wall and its entrance contrasted with the shorter inner doors. Around the entrance were painted blue symbols – the hand and the fish. I saw the same symbols around other doors in the area.

In the first room were two women – a middle-aged and an older woman, both wearing a scarf around the head and red colored patterned cloth gathered or pinned together to form a dress. The older woman quietly rested as she sat on a thin foam mattress, revealing a bit of her dyed orange hair and tattoo marks on the chin. She was very willing to have photos taken, so I took several photos and gave her a coin. The younger woman, sitting on a kilim rug, demonstrated how she ground flour with a special stone.

Stepping out of the sparse entry room, we entered the circular inner courtyard. Peeking into the rooms with rounded ceilings, I was surprised to see two TV’s! Twenty years ago, according to Driss, the area of Matmata was quite isolated. Now you can see satellite dishes, cell phones, running water, and other amenities. About 800 still live in the troglodyte pit homes.

An antenna marks the opening of a troglodyte pit home

Berber woman with traditional tattoos, dress, and henna-dyed hair

Entrance to the troglodyte home with fish and hand (originally Christian) symbols

Animals such as donkeys and camels are used in the region

Tamezret

Continuing onward, we stopped to get a view of the hilltop village of Tamezret. Just 13 km west from Matmata, the homes here are built above ground using the abundant local rock. Unlike Matmata, the village of Tamezret is not inundated with busloads of tourists, helping to preserve its authenticity. While on a trip with the high school students, we had the opportunity to go up into the village. Walking up the steep stairs, we reached a museum dedicated to preserving the Berber culture of Tamezret. I was especially attracted to the embroidered wedding shawls. These woven shawls were dyed with henna and then enhanced with brightly colored symbols. As with other Berber villages, many of Tamezret's young people have left to go to Tunis and other cities, abandoning their traditional way of life in favor of opportunities. The narrow streets were quite empty, except for the occasional woman carrying home the morning's fresh baguette.

Around the area, fragile flowers, trees, and clumps of grass grew in areas that received collected rainwater. The further we got from Tamezret, the drier it became, with short scrub brush replacing any trees seen eastward. Occasionally, one would see a few palm trees and flowers in tiny pockets. Signs with a camel indicating that this was a camel crossing area were posted. In one instance we did see a large herd of camels being led across the road. Built as a first defense against desertification (the Sahara grows by over 3 meters each year), fences constructed of palm tree branches and other materials helped contain the rippled sand from spreading faster. Piled quite high in areas, the fence reminded me of the snow fences placed in Wisconsin to help stop the snowdrifts. Other ways of halting desertification have been discussed at international conferences. After all, desertification is an issue that affects people worldwide and has far-reaching implications. Traveling from the east to the west really emphasizes how narrow Tunisia is (only 260 km wide) and how diverse its ecosystems are. Soon we would be heading into the desert.

View looking down over the traditional Berber village of Tamezret

A woman walks through the narrow streets carrying fresh baguettes