Troglodyte homes are not a new concept.  Humans have been living in caves for as long as we have roamed the earth.  The Berber people, traditionally a nomadic people, also used caves as dwellings and for storage.  We are going to visit a number of different troglodyte homes today.  The first stop is in a village called Matmata.  This small village had a population of around 2000 in 1967, all living in underground caves.  In fact, if it weren't for a significant rain storm during that year, these Berber cave dwellers might never have been found.  After the 22 day rains, the Tunisian government sent a delegation to nearby Gabes to support the clean up from the devastation.  It is during this visit that the homes were discovered.

 This collection above is still used by a Berber family.  They allowed us to visit.

Above the main entrance to their homes, you will always see the "Hands of Fatima", a symbol used for protection from the evil eye.  Fatima is the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.  The symbol can be one of three colours, red, dark blue or light blue.  Light blue is most commonly used over doors as seen here. Resembling the sky and truth, it is considered the most direct protection from the evil eye.  Red is the colour of blood associated with energy, power, determination as well as passion and desire.  It is the most powerful symbol against the evil eye.  Dark Blue is for good karma. The Fatima symbol is also very popular in modern culture throughout the world, often worn as jewelery.

 Water is precious in the desert, this is a cistern that is fed rainwater through a series of troughs surrounding the dwelling.   They had just finished using it as we arrived.

 A bread oven sits just outside the kitchen cave.  We were served some fresh baked bread with a mixture of olive oil and honey for dipping.  Fantastic!

 Preparing wool for weaving carpets.

 The Master suite.
 The aforementioned snack.

 Momma grinding grains for flour.

 The kitchen.  olives, oils , spices. While it was 35 degrees outside it remained very comfortable in the caves.  interesting visit for sure.

A little further, along we stopped at the Hotel Sidi Driss for lunch.  This is the site of the fictional town of Tataouine, Luke Skywalker's village from Star Wars IV "A New Hope' and "Attack of the Clones".  The yellow bits were added to the original Berber walls for the movies.  It is a very basic hotel today for those adventurous souls who want to try sleeping in a cave.  Another traditional Tunisian lunch.  Good, but a bit repetitive, after 6 days of the same thing I really want a burger and a beer!

 From here, we venture to visit a different sort of cave.  Something a little more current, in the town of Medenine.  The caves are actually bunkers. used by Rommel's army to protect them from attack from the south.  In 1942-3, the allied forces beat Rommel in his last battle in Africa, know as the "Battle of Medenine".  Some say that this victory was the turning point of WWII.  In the forward bunker were housed two machine guns, one pointed north, the other south.  Both looking out on the narrow valley of desert.   The young German soldiers, feeling confident in their position, must have been completely surprised by the might of the allied forces pouring a rain of fire down upon them.  I didn't take any pictures here, however, I must admit to feeling a bit sad knowing that so many lost their lives for our freedom.

Almost 300k on the odometer, we arrived in Tataouine for the night.  Another Star Wars experience. this time in a former granary built by the Berber.  This place was huge, in the Berber times, there was at least 600 storage caves for food stuffs.  The site was used for celebrations as well, not many Berbers actually lived here.  Just enough for maintenance and security.  George Lucas and cast camped out, at what was then a hotel, within the granary.  Today, it is in need of some major renovation dollars, only a small part is open for viewing.

We stayed at a very nice hotel called the Sangho Privilege.  The pool was amazing, surrounded on three sides by the hotel and a man made beach, all within a fortified wall.  Typical Tunisian dinner.  Don't get me wrong the food is really good, I just wish they knew how to make something different.

Tomorrow a mountain Berber village, a long drive back to the coast, a spice market and Sfax, Tunisia's second largest city.

Be well

Salaam