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Africa » Tunisia » Tataouine
April 21st 2019
Published: May 25th 2019
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Ghorfas, Ksar EzzahraGhorfas, Ksar EzzahraGhorfas, Ksar Ezzahra

These centuries-old Berber vaults stored grains.
Though I enjoyed the films, I wouldn’t say that I’m a Star Wars fan so to speak, but I did know that some parts of the movies were filmed in Tunisia; in particular, that there were scenes filmed in the Tunisian desert which looked amazing. Therefore when I found out that the places in these scenes are actually real, I thought that with the time I had available in Tunisia, that they would be worth checking out.

I generally always have a Lonely Planet on my phone for the places I visit and I am normally quite reliant on them to guide me in terms of determining where to go, what to see and how to get to places. For Tunisia, there wasn't a Lonely Planet available so I was travelling somewhat blind this time. I took what I could from the Lonely Planet website to work out what to see but finding out information about buses, trains and getting around in general was difficult. Even once on the ground, I found it hard to find tourist information. There are definitely things to see in Tunisia, but it is all seemingly package holidays or expensive tours, with very little tourist
Hotel Sidi Driss, MatmataHotel Sidi Driss, MatmataHotel Sidi Driss, Matmata

The series of pits that make up this old Berber house was used as the setting for Lars's Homestead in the first Star Wars film (Episode IV); the set is now a hotel and as you can see, they've kept all the props and fittings.
infrastructure for independent travellers. Therefore to get to all the places I wanted to visit in the time that I had available, I decided that investing in a rental car would be the best option.

When booking the rental car back in Berlin, I was worried about whether I’d actually be allowed to drive over here without an international driving permit (IDP). Since you can only get an IDP in the country for which you have a licence, it was impossible for me to get one in Berlin, given I have a British licence. Many official websites recommend that you have an IDP, but none definitively said that you had to have one apart from websites peddling IDPs. I decided to take a punt without one anyway, reasonably confident that it would be fine, as I hadn’t read about anyone being refused a rental car without an IDP.

Then again the pickup instructions were pretty vague so I was worried about actually finding the rental car since this company apparently didn’t have an office on-site at the airport and then I was a little nervous about driving in Tunisia after witnessing a nasty collision in La Marsa the
DouggaDouggaDougga

A very impressive set of Roman ruins in the Tunisian countryside, two hours drive from Tunis.
day before. I feel like as you get older, you worry more and more about the potential for things to go wrong once you find out just how badly things are done in general around the world, from lax general safety practices to corrupt governments.

As usual however, the worries were unfounded as a call from the airport information desk to the rental company got me to the correct rental desk and the registration and handover process were the most lax ever; it was also done entirely in French, of which I knew enough words to just about understand everything the agent told me.

As I hit the road, I then found myself encountering problems that went on to sort themselves out; such as going into the wrong lane to pay a road toll and having a very understanding lorry driver behind me reversing out of the lane to let me out, scraping his bumper on a barrier while doing it (whoops) and thankfully not holding too many people up; finding a gas station just as I was about to run out of petrol; and not having enough cash to pay for said petrol but having a 10€
El Jem ColiseumEl Jem ColiseumEl Jem Coliseum

The Roman Empire extended as far as North Africa and they certainly lef their mark in El Jem with this magnificent amphitheatre that is almost as big as the one in Rome itself.
note handy, which the station attendant kindly but reluctantly accepted.

The first place I visited with my trusty Hyundai Grand i10 was the ancient Punic and Roman ruins of Dougga.
The city was initially established in the 6th century BC, so it is pretty old; it is also a little hard to get to as it is perched on a plateau in the middle of the countryside about two hours east of Tunis, which perhaps explains why it is so well preserved.
Established as Punic Berber settlement, it then followed Tunisia's general history of being ruled by Romans, Byzantines and Muslims before being abandoned.
The site was much bigger than I was expecting and I spent about two and a half hours exploring it. The city is remarkably intact which brought to mind Ephesus, with the streets still in place and enough of the buildings still standing to really give you an idea of what the city was like in its heyday. As a bonus, the site had wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. It was definitely worth the trek to get out there, much more rewarding than the ruins I had seen of Carthage in and around Tunis.
Ruins Of DouggaRuins Of DouggaRuins Of Dougga

This ancient Punic and Roman settlement is still remarkably intact, the streets of the old city still in place. It has a pretty good view of the surrounding countryside from its position atop a hill too.


I then had a bit of a long drive ahead of me that afternoon to get to my destination for the night, the city of El Jem. It was a long journey that took longer than I had anticipated and I still had a lot of hours driving ahead of me over the next few days. The roads were generally in good condition however, far better than I was expecting. I had to pay a lot of tolls to use them though and in some places, the roads obviously weren't getting their share of the toll money. Tunisians love a roundabout too, although the upside of this was a distinct lack of traffic lights outside of the cities.
And remember GPSs? Well, they must be out of business now as the free directions provided by Google Maps and maps.me are pretty down pat these days. The directions weren’t always correct but common sense could be applied to avoid taking wrong turns into dead ends or the wrong direction.

Four hours after leaving Dougga and one hour later than scheduled, I finally arrived in El Jem.
As I drove into the dusty, dirty, Indian-like town, maps.me directs me to
The Capitol At DouggaThe Capitol At DouggaThe Capitol At Dougga

Looking towards the capitol at Dougga from an old entranceway to a temple.
what felt like the middle of nowhere, out by the railway tracks. This was where my 50€ a night hotel was supposed to be but there was no sign of it. I guess these free map apps can't get everything right and after another thirty minutes of asking directions and driving around as night fell, I finally check into my rather plush hotel.
There don't seem to be any hostels in Tunisia so I have had to stay in hotels for my entire stay in the country - luckily I can afford them these days (as well as a rental car).

It was in the hotel restaurant that I continued my adventure with the local cuisine.
Brik is like a deep fried samosa packed with shrimp and a raw egg inside - it was really nice, if not particularly healthy. And apparently shakshuka comes from Tunisia, rather than Israel - here, it is known as ojja and mine came with sausages. I'll have to apologise to my Tunisian colleague Safa who enlightened me with this shakshuka fact, because I think I prefer the Israeli version...
Another noticeable feature of Tunisian cuisine is their love of hot sauce, which is
Exterior View Of ColiseumExterior View Of ColiseumExterior View Of Coliseum

A view of the old Roman amphitheatre's exterior in El Jem.
unusual compared to the food I have eaten in other countries close by, such as Morocco and Egypt.
And although the French have introduced Tunisia to the baguette and the croissant, it seems they didn't pass on the knowledge of how to make them properly as all the bread and pastry I have tried so far have been dry, hard and awful. Perhaps I have just been unlucky with the places I have eaten bread and pastries at.

Trying my best to cope with my really sore, sunburnt forehead, I ventured out the next day to the main reason why I was in this small town - the old Roman coliseum.
It really is quite magnificent. You could really explore every nook and cranny of the place to get an idea of how the stands, the vaults and the arena were all connected and what everything was used for - from the middle of the arena I was tempted to shout to the tourists gathered in the stands, “Are you not entertained!?”
I have seen two largely intact coliseums; one in Pula and the original in Rome. The ancient stadium here isn't as big as its cousin in Rome
Corridors Of The ColiseumCorridors Of The ColiseumCorridors Of The Coliseum

The corridors of El Jem's ancient amphitheatre reminded me of the last scene of Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon.
but isn't far off and is more intact. There are a shitload less tourists here too.
Much of the seating has crumbled but parts have been restored - there were VIP seats with backs even - so that you could get a good feel of what it would have been like as a spectator, watching gladiators battle lions and other assorted beasts. Christians were hung here publicly too. The stands were designed very much like modern stadiums are today. The corridors behind them evoked the scene from Return Of The Dragon where Bruce Lee kills Chuck Norris. Overall a very cool experience.
As for the town itself, El Jem doesn’t really seem too economically depend on the stadium as there are normal shops selling live chickens are just yards away from this amazing monument to history, rather than outlets selling tourist tat.

Leaving El Jem for my next destination, the scenery got noticeably redder - it is much greener in the north and now I was heading into the dry, arid deserts of the south. As you might expect to see on a desert highway, there were very long stretches of straight road. The long drive from El Jem
Desert LandscapeDesert LandscapeDesert Landscape

On the road from Matmata, where Hotel Sidi Driss is.
was supposed to take three hours but ended up taking five and it got a little boring to be honest.
Thank God I had downloaded a whole lot of music before I left Berlin and could connect my iPhone to the stereo - the only alternative to hours of silence would have been the Arabian-sounding music on Tunisian radio that seems wildly popular amongst the local population - I wonder whether the music is indeed local.
The car itself was actually pretty smooth to drive and I purposely got an automatic which made things easier; not that I can’t drive stick but I struggle a bit doing it when the gearstick is on my right-hand side rather than my left. Driving in a foreign, non-European country, I could do with as little distraction as possible.
As for Tunisian drivers, they can be a little erratic on the road but to be honest I thought they were better than expected. It can be a minefield of hazards driving through towns and cities, but nothing I couldn’t navigate. You just really had to look out for anything and everything. But otherwise their worst driving crimes are straddling lanes and forgetting to turn
Ksar EzzahraKsar EzzahraKsar Ezzahra

These fortified granaries were built by the Berbers to protect their food supplies from bandits.
off their signals (if they’ve signalled at all) after finally deciding which lane they’d like to drive in.
My destination at the end of my long drive on the second day was Tataouine, which really felt like the middle of nowhere. And then the B&B I booked was in the middle of nowhere again, on a dusty, half-empty street. Also staying at the B&B was a French family with a couple of kids running around, so I felt like I was staying as a lodger at a homestay. Sort of like when I stayed with Freddie’s family in Leipzig last year.

Now if the name Tataouine sounds familiar, then that is because you have probably heard of Tatooine - and indeed, Luke Skywalker’s home planet was named after this Tunisian desert town and Star Wars was the reason I was here. There are a couple of amazing structures nearby that were used in the films, which are still standing.
The aforementioned amazing structures are what are known as ksars - fortified grain stores built by the Berbers that protected food from desert marauders. The ksars look extraordinary; within these old forts are small courtyards surrounded by the strangest-looking, multi-storey,
Ksar Ouled SoltaneKsar Ouled SoltaneKsar Ouled Soltane

The best preserved and most visited of the ksars around Tataouine.
adobe structures - some up to four storeys high - all with tiny entrances you have to crouch down to get into and complete with external stairways. They are unlike anything that I have seen before and I have seen a lot!
The first ksar that I visit is Ksar Ezzahra and there is hardly a soul around. Built around five hundred years ago, some old Berber men are still hanging out and playing cards in a couple of the old stores, but otherwise these fantastical monuments have been abandoned, the grains these huts once kept now replaced seemingly by plastic and trash. It was a pretty cool thing to see and I felt like I had been transported into a surrealist painting that I am pretty sure I have seen before.
Another place I have also seen these structures before is in Star Wars - and more specifically, in Episode I: A New Hope, where the next old granary that I visited, Ksar Ouled Soltane, was depicted as the slave quarters in Mos Espa, on the planet of Tatooine. This one was cooler than Ksar Ezzarah and I really did feel like I was somewhere otherworldly here, which was
Inside The KsarInside The KsarInside The Ksar

In the midst of the ksars, it really did feel like I was in a galaxy far, far away...
perhaps why George Lucas decided to use the ksar in the film. The shapes of the ghorfas seemed more familiar here than at Ksar Ezzahra and I could imagine the creatures from the film being held inside the huts.
The last granary I visited was Ksar Ouled Dabbab, which was the most disappointing of the three as it was the least intact and could have been the ruins of anything. Curiously, right next to it is a cafe/restaurant that I can only assume had a Flinstone theme as it had a massive paper-mache Stegosaurus statue at the entrance and a broken Tyrannosaurus Rex in the ruins itself, resembling a pre-decomposed dinosaur corpse.

Despite it only being around 2pm, my sightseeing was done for the day; as well as being super-hot - about 38 degrees, proper desert weather - it was also super-windy which made it feel as if I was in a colossal fan oven and this made being outside a tiring challenge.
So I went back into Tataouine for lunch (and to cool down), but there really isn’t much to see and do there. I had now seen everything I had wanted to and did it in half
Salon DutheSalon DutheSalon Duthe

I can only guess that this building at Ksar Ouled Soltane was once a cafe.
a day. Now, I’ve been to some shithole towns on my travels and sadly, there really isn’t much to Tataouine.

I have often lamented in this blog about the creep of Western corporations into every country and city I have visited but I can gladly say that Tataouine has very much been left untouched - I very much got the authentic local experience in Tataouine.
Tataouine doesn’t really have the highest quality selection of of restaurants however, so for lunch and dinner that day, I ended up in unassuming joints with only locals inside (there were literally only a handful of tourists in town) and Arabic-only menus. The guys running both places could speak French and I must know more French than I think because I could understand the options they were giving me. So while most places have restaurants, bars and cafes aimed at tourists, I did like how I was forced to mingle with some real locals in Tataouine, in what really did feel a bit like a galaxy far, far away. Not a single Western supermarket, cafe, hotel or restaurant chain in sight.

Apart from the odd taxi driver and a couple of chancers in
The Slave QuartersThe Slave QuartersThe Slave Quarters

Ksar Ouled Soltane was used in Star Wars Episode I to depict the salve quarters on Anakin Skywalker's home city of Mos Espa.
the medina in Tunis, most Tunisians tend to leave you alone which is nice; and though they would have every reason to stare at me, the majority of them don’t. And they don’t seem to snigger at me like many of the populations around the world do. Most Tunisians are also patient and are more than willing to try and help you out while being nice and friendly about it.

One such local was the owner of the B&B I was staying at, Marbrouk.
I had a bit of spare time to chat so we get talking and Marbrouk tells me about politics in Tunisia since 2011. While ending the 23-year authoritarian rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Marbrouk tells me that the 2011 revolution has in fact made things arguably worse and that the educated young are leaving the country in droves. So while it is one thing to remove a dictator from power, it is another to ensure an orderly succession and a choice of good options to choose from at election time. Part of it is the nature of democracy; not everyone will be happy and often progress is difficult to make in democracies when
Tataouine DreamTataouine DreamTataouine Dream

I'm pretty sure I have seen surrealist paintings that look at lot like this.
you have official opposition to the government - which can ironically lead to the installation of dictators who try to cement their power by crushing all opposition, especially in countries not used to democracy and without democratic infrastructure, foundations and practices. The other big problems cited by Marbrouk included corruption and that fact that half the country don't pay any taxes. So while it might seem that Tunisia has done the best out of all the countries that took part in the Arab Spring, perhaps they aren’t doing as well as you might think.

While I might have earlier described the restaurants in Tataouine as “unassuming”, other Westerners may describe them as “dodgy” - and sadly in the case of the final restaurant I ate at in Tataouine, such a Westerner might be right.
Already suffering from a cold that I had brought with me from Berlin and peeling skin from my forehead, I now had to make constant trips to the toilet, had a fever and had weak, sore, aching muscles. I found it difficult to sleep on my final night in Tataouine and the next day I had to drive the length of Tunisia back up north.
TataouinelesbainsTataouinelesbainsTataouinelesbains

The room I was staying in at the B&B I stayed at in Tataouine. It definitely had a local feel.
Not convenient.

How would things go the next day? Find out in the next blog entry...

ان شالله نشوفك عن قريب، بالسلامة ('iina shallah nushufuk ean qaribin, bialsalama),
Derek


Additional photos below
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BrikBrik
Brik

A delicious Tunisian speciality that is like an crispier version of a samosa.
CouscousCouscous
Couscous

The only time I had what is a bit of a North African staple during my whole time in Tunisia. It might've been what got be sick too.
Tunisian BreakfastTunisian Breakfast
Tunisian Breakfast

You got to squeeze your own orange juice at the B&B.
An Unassuming Restaurant In TataouineAn Unassuming Restaurant In Tataouine
An Unassuming Restaurant In Tataouine

There aren't really any decent restaurants in Tataouine, meaning that I had to eat at establishments like this. The food here might've been responsible for getting me sick...
Mosaics At DouggaMosaics At Dougga
Mosaics At Dougga

Like most of the ancient site, the mosaics of this house is still remarkably intact.
Inside A GhorfaInside A Ghorfa
Inside A Ghorfa

The interiors of these 'huts' inside the ksars were pretty all like this - the exteriors are far more exciting...
Ksar Ouled DabbabKsar Ouled Dabbab
Ksar Ouled Dabbab

The most disappointing of the three ksars I visited. The incongruous sight of a dinosaur statue corpse can only be explained by the cafe/restaurant next door having a Flintstone theme.
Inside Hotel Sidi DrissInside Hotel Sidi Driss
Inside Hotel Sidi Driss

The hotel was really making the most of being a Star Wars set and even had the film music on in the background. They didn't charge for fans to come inside and take photos however.
Outside The B&BOutside The B&B
Outside The B&B

This is the street that my B&B was on. There really isn't much to this town. That is the trusty Hyundai Grand i10 that got me around Tunisia.
Streets Of TataouineStreets Of Tataouine
Streets Of Tataouine

There really wasn't much going on in town.


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