Matmata

A Berber town in southern Tunisia where a portion of the population traditionally lived in troglodyte pit-houses excavated from the soft sandstone hillsides. The dwellings consist of a central circular courtyard dug vertically into the ground with rooms radiating from it, creating a naturally cool interior climate suited to the desert heat. The landscape around the town is stark and lunar, which led film productions including the original Star Wars to use the area as a location. Several of the pit complexes remain accessible to visitors.