Matmata

Troglodyte houses are the focus of this small Berber community which was only discovered in 1967 after severe flooding. It was used as the location for some of the scenes in the movie "Star Wars". Some of the wall paintings used in the movie can still be seen. The houses are situated in a deep pit and the caves dwellings, connected by low passageways, radiate from the central square. It is thought that the dwellings were constructed to protect the people from invading marauders, but they are also cool in the severe heat of the desert.