Douiret, Tunisia. This is now one of my favorite place on earth! Fascinating!
The next morning we drove from the Sahara, south-east, back across Tunisia. We were heading to the Tataouine area, which is famous if you are a Star Wars fan. Various scenes from the Star Wars movie was filmed in locations around this area.
The landscape was definitely sandy and very dry looking, but with the jagged peaks, mosques in the middle of nowhere, and the occasional camel, it added interest to the drive.
There are different types of ancient dwellings in this unique area. It is famous for it's buildings and structures: underground, some are individual little rounded huts, and many are built into the rocky hills. The rugged terrain and hot weather makes you wonder why, when and how anyone could live here. It was beautiful, quite warm for mid-Oct, but not for the 5-star hotel type person.
A bit from Wikipedia:
Tataouine (Arabic: تطاوين Taṭāwīn), is a city located in southern Tunisia. It is the capital of theTataouine Governorate. The below ground, "cave dwellings" of the native Berber population, designed for coolness and protection, render the city and the area around it a tourist and film makers attraction.
The district is famous for its ksour (fortified Berber granaries) including the picturesque Ksar Ouled Soltane, Chenini and Douiret. These abandoned settlements feature vaulted adobe buildings, or ghorfas.
Some of the local Berber residents live in traditional underground "troglodyte" structures. The structures typical for the village are created by digging a large pit in the ground. Around the perimeter of this pit artificial caves are then dug to be used as rooms, with some homes comprising multiple pits, connected by trench-like passageways.
We are driving through incredible history and you have to look closely. An ordinary mountain holds many secrets...
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| An old Berber ksour. These were used to live in and/or store grain. |
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| This is now a museum. We did not stop although the owner was out near the road trying to flag us in. There are not many tourists visiting this area since the revolution in 2010. |
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| Looking down on a small dusty village. Fascinating though. The structures are made from clay/stone and look almost like caves. Then when you look closely, you can also see underground homes. Good way to beat the heat! |
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| Our first sighting of old underground dwellings called troglodytes. These are made up of a big center room dug down into the earth with various small rooms off to the sides. The side rooms are underground and are like caves. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter. |
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| Little cave dwellings in the hills. |
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| There is |
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| more here |
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| than first |
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| meets the eye. |
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| Look closely... |
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| You can see small villages, caves and ancient stone dwellings in almost every hillside and ridge. |
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| Look closely again... |
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| Magical! |
