Troglodyte homes in Tunisia

[expedition_retirement]

Matmâta, Tunisia is known for its troglodyte homes, underground homes carved into the stone of the desert. These homes are a significant part of the local Amazigh (i.e., Berber) culture. They are an ideal adaptation to the climate extremes of the desert here, staying cool in the intense heat of summer, and warm in the cold of the winter. Many are still used as homes, and others have been adapted (and expanded) for use as hotels.

These homes inspired George Lucas, who used one of these homes as the set for the home of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle in the original Star Wars movie. That set is now a tourist attraction here, and we stopped for a brief visit.

Later we visited a family in their underground home, where they served us lunch.

The homes we visited all had a central courtyard open to the sky, with rooms carved into the rock around the sides of this courtyard. They were cut into the side of a hill, so that there was an entrance passageway into the courtyard from outside. But if you walked up the hill, you could look down into the courtyard from above.