Star Wars at Matmata, Tunisia
See Luke Skywalker’s home movie set and underground homes in Matmata
Mar 7, 2007
In central west Tunisia, just inland from the coastal town of Gabes, you’ll find the small town of Matmata. It’s largely famous as home to many troglodyte constructions: underground homes or other rooms and businesses dug out of the rock, to escape the extreme desert heat and cold.
What You’ll See in Matmata
It might be a small town, but there’s plenty to make it worth seeing. Even just the landscape in the area is unique and you’ll be pulling out the camera constantly. Some parts look like a real moonscape – yellow rock areas, strange stratifications, palm trees, empty slopes and sudden steep hills. As you get closer to the main township, you’ll start spotting holes in the rock that lead to entire houses and hotels. There are some modern above-ground buildings, too – in fact they’re now in the majority, but they don’t overshadow the real charm of the town.
Many locals who live in underground homes open them up to tourists for a small entrance fee. Signs direct you to those, or simply ask around in the main street. More than likely, as a tourist you’ll be spotted by someone who wants to show you their house before you find it for yourself.
The amazing landscape is the reason that George Lucas chose to film part of the Star Wars movies here. In particular, he used a local hotel for the home of Luke Skywalker’s family.
Staying in Matmata
There are several troglodyte hotels to choose from in Matmata, but if you want the most authentic Star Wars experience you should check out the Hotel Sidi Driss. Tour groups come through here during the day to check the leftovers from the Luke Skywalker movie set, including the bar and dining room, but you can also spend the night there. Be warned, though, that the rooms are not airtight (it’s hard to scrape an exactly door-shaped out of stone) and are extremely bare: simple bed, light bulb, semi-lockable door, and you’ll brush your teeth in a tunnel with other guests. But for one night it’s a great experience, and is suprisingly warm in winter and cool in summer.
By Bus or Louage to Matmata
The simplest way to get from Tunis to Matmata and back is using a SNTRI bus. Be careful to take a bus that goes to Matmata proper and not only to Matmata Nouvelle. If you’re traveling around from other parts of Tunisia, you can also find a few buses, or use a louage: they’re like a taxi that leaves when enough passengers want to take it, which is usually pretty regularly.
