Matmata: Underground Homes and Landscape

Matmata is characterized by its underground homes: what appear to be craters are their courtyards, and residents live in chambers below ground. The area also has a film history, with scenes from the Star Wars saga filmed here, and landscapes in the surrounding area. These features give you concrete points to consider when planning your trip. If you are looking for a hotel in Matmata, first consider whether the residential architecture should be the focus of your stay, or whether you also want to include the surrounding landscape and a trip taking in several places.

Underground Homes: Courtyards and Chambers

What looks like a crater in Matmata is the courtyard of an underground home. Residents live in underground chambers. The impression created by the courtyards and the location of the rooms are connected: the courtyard is the central point, while the living space is beneath it. This means the building style can be understood both through the shape of the courtyards and the location of the living space.

The floor plan also follows the typical pattern of Tunisian homes: a central courtyard surrounded by bedrooms. In Matmata, this layout is combined with underground living; the chambers provide protection from intense heat. A typical home layout and underground construction thus come together. For travelers interested in architecture, this combination offers a concrete starting point for viewing the courtyard and bedrooms as part of the same spatial arrangement.

Film History as Another Point of Interest

Some scenes from the Star Wars saga were filmed in Matmata. For film fans, this historical connection adds another travel theme to the architecture. The two points of interest serve different purposes: the homes showcase a building style, while the filming connects Matmata with the saga. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider architecture and film history as separate interests.

Landscape in the Surrounding Area

Nearby Tamazret is a separate settlement on the slope of the Djebel Dahar Plateau and offers panoramic views across the vast, very flat plateau. The view takes in hills, strips of terrain, and hilltops that separate wadis of various sizes. This brings expansiveness and definition together: the land is very flat, while hills and hilltops add clear forms to the landscape. This landscape is distinct from Matmata’s underground homes, which are organized around a courtyard.

In the area around Matmata, the valley takes the shape of a basin. Together with the plateau panorama at Tamazret, this provides another point of interest in the landscape. While the valley near Matmata is characterized by its basin shape, the view from Tamazret stretches across the broad plateau. When planning your trip, this comparison can help you consider the different landscapes around Matmata separately.

Including Matmata in Your Travel Plans

A road connects Matmata with Douz and Medenine. If your trip includes several of these places, this connection is a concrete point to consider when planning your route.

Discover more destinations: Tamezret.

Return to the broader travel overview: Gabes.