Africa’s northernmost nation Tunisia

The surrounding landscape is entirely different from the rest of the country. The Mediterranean plant cover that we’ve grown used to on our journey so far has yielded to a landscape that is more mountainous, almost desert-like; there are few plants on these mountains. At the city’s border, there’s a huge sign that reads “Matmata.” The city of Matmata was founded in a mountainous area, and the style of its architecture is most interesting as the houses are built in underground caverns.

We meet a woman here named Fatima; her home is 100 years old, and eight people live in it. We pay a price of 10 Tunisian dinars to visit her home; these homes are a means of income for their residents. Tourists who want to see this interesting underground world leave money for the hosts after their visit. Hundreds of such homes bring in money this way.

[QUICK FACTS] Capital: Tunis Official language: Arabic (official and commerce), French (commerce) Government: republic President: Zine el Abidine Ben Ali Prime minister: Mohamed Ghannouchi Area: 163,610 square kilometers Population: 10,486,339* GDP (PPP): $7,900** Religion: Muslim (98 percent), Christian (1 percent), Jewish and other (1 percent) *July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate

These homes are found throughout this interesting Tunisian city, and we also learn that such homes exist outside Matmata. There are a total 3,000 of these homes in Tunisia, some of them in use as hotels. Even if just for a day, some tourists want to sleep in these homes and experience a different mode of life.

Curious about the Berbers who live in residential areas in the Matmata region, we travel to a place near the border with Libya. Roughly 230 kilometers away is the Libyan capital of Tripoli. As the evening sun falls over the mountains, the scene is transformed. We are surrounded by complete silence, and there are no signs of life anywhere. It’s as if we’re on another planet. Some of the Berber residents here have left their cave houses, setting up conventional residences along the periphery; some of them in the foothills, some on the peaks.

We’re told that if the name of a town has the letter T in it, then at one point it was a Berber area. Like Matmata, Toujane and Tamezret. Tamezret is a Berber hilltop village. Each of the villages here has at least one mosque, in addition to coffeehouses, which are places of relaxation and conversation. The Berbers who live here appear to have protected their deep-rooted traditions and customs.

We spend the night in Matmata, and a long road awaits us in the morning. After departing from the hotel in Matmata, we arrive at the city of Douz. Sometimes described as the desert’s doorstep, 50,000 people live in Douz. At noon, it feels as if the city is boiling from the heat; residents recline under the shade of trees in the city center. In the summer, temperatures reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius here.

We toured this desert area by camel, but desert activities aren’t limited to riding camels or being on horseback. For the more adventurous traveler, there are many interesting activities to take part in, such as boarding special desert vehicles that travel across the sand, or embarking on a trip in a small airplane over the desert -- which is what we chose to do.

In the air, from a height, the desert looks simply wondrous. We zoom past neat rows of date gardens, and the feeling of flying across it all is exhilarating. From up here, you can even feel the wind change direction, and the heat becomes bearable as you soar across the desert sands.

The city of Matmata was founded in a mountainous area, and the style of its architecture is most interesting as the houses are built in underground caverns. We meet a woman here named Fatima; her home is 100 years old, and eight people live in it. We pay a price of 10 Tunisian dinars to visit her home; these visits are a means of income for their residents

After leaving the beautiful desert city of Douz, we head for Tozeur. And the long road there leads us to feel that, as always, the mirage gets farther away the closer you get to it. When viewed from afar, the Sahara’s largest salt lake, Chott el Djerid, still looks like a lake with its broad white surface. But there is no water left in this 5,000-square-kilometer lake and no traces of life; it is deep, silent and expansive. We’re told that it last filled with water in 1990 due to heavy rains and flooding. The site was the set for some scenes in one of the Star Wars films.

Tozeur has a population of 50,000. There are only 50 kilometers between downtown Tozeur and Algeria. There are many beautiful establishments set up for the benefit of tourists here, as tourism is an important source of income. We set out from the city center to the outskirts, where villages have been established near the desert oases. In this environment, wherever there is greenery, there is water. The date gardens in this area are nourished through water that originates in the mountains.

Chebika is a village with a population of 3,000. From a height, the date gardens and village are easily visible. There’s no greenery on the mountains save the date trees in the foothills. Beyond the canyon, the border with Algeria is exactly two kilometers away. Along the road, we see camels everywhere trying to graze here and there. Even though they look like they’re roaming randomly, they all have owners. Female camels are left in the desert before giving birth, and the baby camel is raised in the desert for at least 3 months so it gets used to this environment. Then, the camel owners return and reclaim their camels from the desert.

There are a total of 3 million date trees in Tunisia. Dates require both heat and water -- their roots, extending both vertically and horizontally, can reach out as far as six meters to grasp whatever little water is available. The biggest agricultural problem facing Tunisia is a shortage of water. In the southern desert regions, water can be found at a depth of between 600 and 2,000 meters. And this water is often hot, as high as 40 degrees Celsius. Because sand heats up so quickly, underground water does as well. If you go underground in Tunisia, the temperature increases by one degree Celsius every 33 meters. Also, in the water drawn in the desert, there are between five and 10 grams of salt in every liter of water. The closer you are to Chott el Djerid, the higher this figure becomes.

The next day, we fly from Tozeur to the capital of Tunis, and from there, we travel farther north. In one hour, we see both desert and a Mediterranean climate. Instead of the boiling heat of Tozeur, we meet milder weather and the pleasant sight of greenery and blue along the coast that extends for kilometers in Bizerte, the country’s northernmost city. And the northernmost point of Bizerte is the northernmost point of northern Africa. There are many Ottoman structures here, including a castle and residences. Fishery and tourism are widespread occupations here, and shop signs have Turkish on them, which comes as a surprise to us. The city feels entirely Mediterranean, with beaches that stretch for 200 kilometers. The people here are warm and hospitable and are pleased to hear that we are Turks, for Turkish people are loved here.