Africa

Tataouine & Matmata

Tataouine is the focal point of the ksour district in the rugged hills of the Jebel Dahar. This is a beautiful landscape dotted with ruined villages on hilltops and atmospheric ksour or fortified Berber granaries that are the region’s trademark.

You can explore some of the Berber villages around Tataouine with their unique houses carved into the steep sides of the mountains. The natural caves which burrow into the dramatic rocky outcrops have been extended into houses with walled courtyards at the front. The ksar was at the highest point of the village where the food supplies and other valuables were stored.

Matmata is the principal site of Berber underground or troglodyte homes built as an escape from the heat of the barren, eroded landscape of fissures and craters. The living quarters were at the base of a circular pit with rooms tunnelled out from the sides. This was the location used in the Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark films.