Goin' underground in Matmata

I remember watching cartoons when i was a child (to be honest i still do). And i remember images of a ostrich sticking it's head in the sand when it wanted to get away from it all. Turns out cartoons may not be the most accurate source of information. But there are a few civilization who were living underground long before Loony Toons started misleading me. One of the best examples of living underground can be found in southern Tunisia. More specifically the town of Matmata.

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The seemingly tiny town of Matmata (population 1,000) appears rather ordinary at first glace. Sure... the setting is interesting in the desertified hills. Sure... the people are quite traditionally Berber. But i wouldn't be writing about it if that was all. Closer inspection of the town quickly reveals bomb crater-like holes scattered about the country side. However, this ain't a war zone. The holes in the ground have been made by locals for ages in an attempt to escape the summer heat and the winter "freeze" (it's not actually THAT cold).

The troglodyte homes are very well insulated form whatever nature can throw at them. While digging into the ground for shelter is nothing new (there are caves homes in Cappadocia, Turkey and Goris, Armenia to name a few) the homes in Matmata are still fully functional. The entrance is in the form of a long tunnel which lead to a central open-aired courtyard, sometimes connecting 2 or 3 courtyards. And around each courtyard, several rooms are dug into the soil. Although simple, they are more than sufficient for the Berber people who live in them. Many of the homes are open to the public in one way or another. There are 3 "hotels" to stay in. At a cost of around 15TD a night it's a bargain. But need I stress the word "simple" again? One of the homes is also a museum which you can visit for 3 TD.

But it wasn't until some guy named George Lucas filmed a movie in the 1970's called "Star Wars" that the world got to know Matmata. Fans of the film may recognize the Hotel Sidi Driss as the home of Luke Skywalker in the the first movie. The set is still in tact and tour companies are pleased as punch about it. Endless tour buses (mostly on day trips from Jerba) pull up to the hotel, all humming the Star Wars theme. They take their pictures and disappear as fast as the appeared. There's no escaping the tourist nature of the place. Staying overnight is a way to ensure more a quieter visit to the set, and indeed the whole village.

It's most definitely worth walking in any direction from the town centre for about 15 minutes. That's about the end of the town, irregardless of which way you go. It is only then that you realize the truly isolated nature of the place. The silence is almost deafening. That is until some 4X4 comes roaring over the hills and the ensuing "Woo-Hoos" bellow from the tourists inside. But then all is silent again.

Along the way, you're almost certain to be invited into someone's home. A tip of a dinar or two is expected. But it's a great way to see into the lives of the very friendly Berber people. I have always been a fan of desert people. It's amazes me how people with so little, and such a difficult life can remain so upbeat. Once away for the Hotel Sidi Driss (the money making centre of town) you are almost certain to be greeted by nearly everyone with a simple "Bonjour". No sales pitches. No "you want a camel". Just a friendly greeting to a stranger walking down the same street. A lesson we can certain learn in the increasingly indifferent West!

Getting to Matmata can be a bit of a pain though. It's not really set-up for individual travellers. it is almost guaranteed that anyone coming here will have to take a louage (shared taxi) from Gabes, connecting to another one in New Matmata. There are rumours of buses, but i found no reliable info. Going west to Douz and the Sahara, involves backtracking as there is NO public transport. However, i opted to hitchhike and was picked up by the first car and brought all the way to Douz, some 80 kms away.

I'm sure the self proclaimed "hard-core" travellers out there with scoff at the idea of going anywhere services by mass tourism. But Matmata offers so much. Unique architecture, natural beauty, pop-culture and most of all the wonderful Bereber people. Although my personal expectation weren't met (damn Hollywood lies), Matmata remains one of the must sees of Tunisia.