If the name of the place sounds weird to you, visiting and seeing the actual landscape of the place will blow you off your feet. This secluded town is located in a serene mountain side, with houses made with extraordinary style. Every family shelters in an underground cave, creating a lunar look in the town much of an alien appearance rather than an Earthly one. Unlike the traditional households you have grown to love, the homes in Matmata can be likened to little holes scraped from the mountain. This exemplary style of living is called the Troglodyte architecture, wherein tall walls of thick and solid mud are formed into having small openings in its façade. In these homes, at most 5,000 dwellers live.

Visiting the town will remind you of Star Wars, since Matmata was the actual location for filming of Sidi Driss, the place where Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen lived with Luke Skywalker. Since the production of the film, nothing has been changed in any way, since the place already looks more like a foreign village than a town. This attracts many tourists, and since the actual Hotel Sidi Driss still exists in Matmata, many Star Wars fans have experienced for themselves how it feels to be on planet Tatooine.

Also, the Berbers, or the locals living in Matmata, are very hospitable and friendly toward guests and tourists. You can readily feel their warm welcome once they have seen you. Many even suggest tips in finding reliable tourist guides for you. In that way, you can steer away from the scam fake guides often schemed for newcomers like you.

Overall, Matmata is a unique and exciting place to have on your vacations list. Visiting this place can be your moment to leave Earth without actually being in space!

Visiting ancient ruins of former great cities can truly be a splendid idea for tourists. Medenine of Tunisia will make an excellent vacation to see ancient buildings and structures.

Although many tourist guides neglect this great site as a must see for the interested people seeking leisure, Medinine is a good choice for you. Why? Well, the structures in the ghorfas villages are of optimum importance to the agricultural aspect of Tunisia. Ghorfas are grain storage houses that shelters many of the crops the Tunisians in Medenine have gathered throughout the summer. You will surely love its distinct appearance. The building is made from 100% clay and mud, ensuring the cool temperature inside without creating the destructive moisture than can spoil the grains. Many caretakers of the storage houses allow tourists to see and witness how the grains are stacked inside the attention-grabbing forms of the ghorfas.

Moreover, to add color to the already interesting collection of ghorfas, a series of stores selling colorful carpets are seen around the village. Most of the time, the businessmen even parade their designed carpets outside their stations, making the whole area more attractive and lively. You can also find these carpets as a great souvenir item, both for you and for your loved ones. Tunisian carpets are known for its intricate appearances and ethnic styles. This would definitely adorn your floors. For functionality, these carpets can effectively insulate the chilling temperature of winter.

Truly, having an experience of seeing this one of a kind cultural place can be a very fulfilling experience.

If you are in the mood to spend a few weeks of vacation in the lovely country of Tunisia, do not forget to drop by the prominent Medina of Sousse. Truly, your visit in Tunisia is never complete without even experiencing this World Heritage Site chosen by the UNESCO foundation.

The best part of Medina of Sousse is its vast market. Even from its historical roots, Medina of Sousse is already known as a junction of markets and bazaars. Aside from being a business-oriented town, Medina of Sousse is also considered as a military port. Thus, you can also see in this town the numerous signs of ancient wars between varying expeditions with missions to conquer Africa. If you have a chance to see this place, it will be like having economic and historical lessons all in one vacation.

However, it’s best advised for you to know at least the basic words and replies in their language. Many Tunisians are incapable of understanding and speaking English, so you will do yourself a favor by educating yourself first. Remember that business transactions, especially in Tunisia, require a lot of bargaining. Although the general prices of the souvenir items here are at most half the price of other souvenir items from other famous tourist spots, you will still lower the prices if you can effectively bargain with the vendors.

All in all, Medina of Sousse is a very ideal place for you to visit. If you are looking for an affordable vacation, this should be one of your priority places to witness. In addition to the affordability of the items, the overall response of Tunisians to your visit is a warm one.

Are you tired of all the vacation sights offering the same activities you have experienced in your previous get-away vacations? Is there a lingering feeling of void in you after engaging yourself on a typical trip? Well, if this is your case, you should plan carefully for your next vacation. Usually, a change in scenery will do the trick in helping you kill the boredom in your urban lifestyle and your repetitive trips.

The Great Mosque of Kairawan can supply you with that change. Aside from the fact that you don’t need to repeat the same stuff again, visiting this sacred place can help you find the inner tranquility within you. Next to Jerusalem, Mecca and Medina, this mosque in the African country of Tunisia is the fourth holiest place on Earth. You will enjoy the distinct calmness within its intricately designed walls, an experience you might want your vacation to have.

In addition to the soothing ambience you can feel inside its corners, the whole mosque is an architectural wonder. The ancient Arabian techniques of designing mosques are clearly seen in the facades of the structures inside, most especially in the 115-feet high minaret. The whole courtyard is also uniquely designed, from the materials used to pave it to the water-recycling methods incorporated in it. Aside from the receptive function, the courtyard is also the water collector for the mosque. The surface was angled in a way to drain the rainwater into a central filter, also with the elaborate designs. Everything inside the mosque is a definite mind reliever, especially for a busy person like you.

However, if you visit this place, you need to remember that it is still a sacred venue. Prepare modest clothes for the place unless you don’t mind using the robes offered inside for those wearing improper attires. You may also notice Muslims doing their rituals. In that case, be a humble witness and just enjoy the overall calming aura that your successful trip provides.

If you are the adventurous type of person and looking for some place exotic to experience, visit the Medina of Tunis. In case that you are finding it hard to find a new spot to spend your vacation at, the Medina of Tunis can help you solve it. This place is famous for its enormous markets. Moreover, since the area of the market is so large, the products available are also a plenty. From the leather bags to decorative plates, from perfumes to purses of all sorts, the Medina of Tunis can provide you with all of that. In addition to that good news, all the prices are affordable even for tourists of limited financial capabilities. In that case, you won’t need to always break your piggy banks just to make your vacation a successful one. Also, most of the time, vendors are open for bargaining, so get ready for some Tunisian business negotiating. To help you with that, arm yourself beforehand with some basic terminology in their language.

As you shop, remember to observe the overall scenery of the place. If you are observant enough, the market itself can turn into a wonderful collection of beautiful ornaments.

In case these reasons are not yet appealing for you, know that the Medina of Tunis is also hailed by UNESCO as a member of the World’s World Heritage Spot, so the place is surely rich in culture and history.

Have you ever wanted to visit an ancient amphitheater? An adventurous trip to El Djem is what you need. To do this you have to visit Tunisia. Known historically as a temporary settlement for ancient civilization, including Romans, Tunisia is a product of ancient cultures. Evidence of that is the enormous El Djem Amphitheater. Situated in the town of Mahdia Governorate, El Djem Amphitheater is an obvious landmark of the country. Its big dome can accommodate at most 35,000 spectators, making it the third largest amphitheater in the world, next to the Coliseum of Rome and the eroded amphitheater in Capua. In that sense, imagining that you are sitting in one of those numerous seats inside the amphitheater is a very unique experience. Obviously, it would be much better for you to actually experience it.

However, remember that because of age, this amphitheater had lost its original structure and form. This was due to the endless wars it had suffered through the years and the constant use of some of its building blocks for other purposes. With that, full security measures are implemented to further lengthen its lifetime. This can also be seen as a consequence of this amphitheater being a World Heritage Site since 1979. Thus, it would be unwise for you to scrape off some pieces of the actual dome for souvenirs. Aside from the fact that doing this is virtually impossible, many stores offer miniature sizes of this amphitheater.

On the positive side, pictures are allowed, so bring fully charged digital cameras to capture those priceless moments.

Lying in the eastern side of Lake Tunis, Carthage is one of Tunisia’s biggest tourist magnets. If you are looking for a fun-filled trip with substance and meaning, you should try visiting this uniquely amazing city.

In many history books, Carthage is a popular word for places of war. The strategically located piece of land had captured the hearts of ancient Phoenicians, Romans, and Punics. Although normally known as a war-deserted place, Carthage had successfully survived the test of time without spilling any drop of its cultural wealth. Consequently, it is now a busy place for booming tourism.

The ancient structures built by Carthage’s predecessors still exist nowadays to prove the ancient glory of this ruined city. Although many of these architectural collections had faded and eroded, you can still witness the very structure itself: standing proudly to tell its history.

Other good sites in Carthage would include the following:

• Great Baths – used by the former dwellers as a public pool or as a place for worship
• Parc Archéologique – a place designated for the various Romanian and Phoenician remains, like cisterns, cannonballs, and secret hideouts. It also houses some Punic graves dating as far as the 5th century BC, underground chapels and basilicas from the Roman Catholicism and mosaic pictures depicting certain rituals and ceremonies conducted by the ancients.
• Parc des Villas Romaines – a collection of Roman villas used mainly by the powerful and the rich only.
• Odeon – constructed in 207 AD, Odeon is a vast hall located in hilltop. Many researchers believed that Odeon is a site of town festivities or annual celebrations. Now, the only remains that you might see is its platform.

Truly, visiting Carthage would be an instant time travel. There, you could actually see the places mentioned in many general reference books and you could also feel the presence of years of exploitation. This refreshing change of scenery is indeed an effective icebreaker for your stressful urban life. Why not visit Carthage in your next vacation and witness the merge of cultural milestones?