Matmata Overview
Matmata is one of the most famous villages in Tunisia as it was the setting for the opening scenes of the film 'Star Wars'. The village's lunar-like landscape and subterranean cave dwellings attract hundreds of visitors every day. They come to see the home of the Star Wars characters Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, which was located in the fictional town of Sidi Driss. The Berber people first dug homes out of the ground over 1000 years ago in order to escape the midday heat. These Troglodyte communities formed craters beneath the earth and constructed tunnels between some of the courtyards to build an underground labyrinth. Today, Hotel Sidi Driss, which was the cantina in Star Wars, still stands, and visitors can spend the night in Berber-style accommodation as part of the whole experience.
Air: Tunis-Carthage International Airport. Road: Coach: The majority of tourists visit Matmata as part of an organized coach tour. Bus: Public services. Car: Road southwest out of Gabes, which leads to New Matmata. Camel: Many tourists prefer to hire camels.
Contact Addresses
For more information on Matmata, contact the Office National du Tourisme Tunisien (see Tourist Information above).
Location
Tunisia
| Tunisia Attraction Guides: |
|
|
Related Tunisia Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
|
