PLACES TO GO

NAME: Matmata is the name of a Berber tribe which was later given to the town.
LOCATION AND ACCESS: 450 km south of Tunis, 43 km south of Gabes, 60 km west of Medenine.
DIALING CODE: 05.
ACCOMMODATION: SeeHotels Guide.
AMENITIES: Post office, service stations, shops.
TOURIST INFORMATION: Syndicat d 'Initiative.
SOUVENIRS: Berber carpets.

From the splendor of the high citadel of Ksar Jouma which overlooks the entire region ,follow the rocky trails down to the arid, sun baked region of Matmata where craters dug into the ground provided another type of shelter from invaders.

These troglodyte "homes" consist of a courtyard, 5 to 10 meters deep from which a labyrinth of small rooms for sleeping, grain storage and family gatherings are cut into the soft rock and interconnected by narrow passageways. Access is through a sloping tunnel or by a ladder which could be removed in time of danger.

The interiors are whitewashed and quite cool in summer, indeed there are now hotels installed in these craters which visitors will find amazingly comfortable. Should the landscape look strangely familiar, Matamata was the setting for the film "Star Wars". This village, named after the Berber tribe that inhabits the region is the largest of the troglodyte communities.