On a continent far, far away....

STAR WARS....A great part of our trip to Tunisia was the opportunity to visit some famous Berber villages and troglodyte dwellings of southern tunisia that were used in the movie Stars Wars . Now, I am not a Stars Wars maniac or anything, but Stars Wars is a great work of art that is timeless and a source of pride for our country... like mexican food, affordable health care and outstanding public education.

The city in Tunisia that was home to the Star Wars set is called Matmata, but there is another city just south of Matmata called Tataouine....you may have heard of it....think Luke Skywalker's home planet. WARNING: If you have never seen Stars Wars.... you are really missing out!

The Berbers are the locals here and were actually the original inhabitants of Northern Africa. They were converted to Islam and began speaking Arabic under the rule of the Persian empire. They built dwellings down in canyons that weren't visible by armies crossing the desert. Here is an example of a house. The base has been painted white for recognition now, and behind the walls there is a courtyard and living quarters.



Before heading out on this afternoon trek through the desert and space we grabbed a couple of pick-me ups. Whit chose some Florida gum for a little reminder of that cool weather we were missing back home and we both opted for the soft drink of choice in southern Tunisia.


For those of you who don't read Arabic (which is probably 99% of you), allow me to translate. The green can says "Sprite."


After our reshreshments we set out on a desolate desert road towards our ultimate goal.....


Finally we arrived at the childhood home of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master.

Behind my right shoulder is Aunt Beru's kitchen

Here is Whit entering the stone doorway into the home:

Here is Luke Skywalker's view looking down into the home.



The house is still lived in to this day and we had a chance to shows ourselves around. The cool temperatures inside the rooms were really amazing. This bedroom for example, was probably 20 degrees cooler than outside.

Although, they have probably never seen the movie, the Berbers are certainly happy to share the historical significance with you...for a few Tunisian Dinar. Of course, we were intrigued to see the ancient dwellings and learn that some of them still live like this.

Here, Whit has a chance to help a Berber women with dinner preparations. She is grinding some grain in a stone grinder. In the US I believe we call this "working out.". *Interesting to note that grain grinding this year is sponsored by Nike socks*

Here is our guide and myself discussing our favorite quotes from Star Wars while we enjoy the shade. Based on his driving, I believe his favorite line was "Fast ship?...You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?"


Here is a topside look at the home:


In the same vicinity is the "lunar landscape" of Tunisia. This desert landscape has been part of several other films and in Star Wars, was home to the Jawas and The Sand People.




Our Star Wars journey ended at the hilltop where Obi Won Kenobi and Luke Skywalker looked down upon Mos Eisley spaceport. From this point the view was amazing, yet still blistering hot.

Needless to say Whit was Star Wars-out by the end of the day and happy to be back pool-side under the date palms.