The village of Matmata is an underground village located in the southern part of Tunisia. Matmata, where people of Berber origin live, is built on a mountainous terrain and the architectural style of the houses is quite interesting. Houses in Matmata are created by digging large pits underground and rooms are added to the artificial caves around them according to the needs of the families. This architectural style is among the unique features of Matmâta.
The village has become even more popular with some scenes from the world-famous Star Wars movies being shot here. This popularity has caused the village to become a tourist center and increase its population.
The village has a soft soil that can be excavated with simple tools. Despite this, it has a durable feature that can survive for hundreds of years and protect it from extreme heat in summer and cold in winter. These features are one of the most extraordinary examples of Matmata’s adventure of adapting to the conditions of the region where human beings know as their home.
The Berber community living in the region created large pits by digging the soil due to the lack of elevation and built their houses by carving these pits. The exposed deep pits were used as courtyards. Almost all of the houses in Matmata have a similar plan. It is in the form of a large pit that opens into the ground, rooms carved into the ground, and a courtyard with trees.
History of Matmata Village
The village of Matmata is located close to the C104 highway between Tunisia and Libya. It was founded underground in the 11th century by people fleeing wars. The village was used as a real living space until the 1960s. However, the population in the village decreased due to the flood disaster experienced at that time and the migration of people towards the cities. After these events, the village was left to its own devices.
Villagers living in Matmata are also engaged in olive and animal husbandry along with tourism. The village, which consists of approximately 3,000 households, owes its worldwide fame to the Star Wars movies. Some locations in Matmata were used in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, written and directed by director George Lucas. With the increase in the popularity of the film, the village has also become known.
In addition to the interest of Star Wars fans, the touristic nature of the village has made Matmata an important tourism center. The village, which received reverse migration, is home to a Berber community with a population of approximately 2,000. Although the effects of the Arab Spring that started in 2011 have not completely passed, and the terrorist attacks on some touristic centers in 2015 caused a decrease in the number of tourists coming to Tunisia, the village is still a very interesting place for foreigners coming to the country.
Matmâta is a unique example of man’s effort to adapt to nature, with its wide underground courtyards and rooms carved into the ground decorated with palm trees, its labyrinth-like tunnels and its unforgettable desert experience.
