Dwelling troglodytes are in the South of Tunisia, in the village of Matmata. In 1970 the government began to allocate troglodytes allowance, so now it is a typical Tunisian village with small houses of the villagers. Originally "Matmata" is the name of one of the tribes of Berbers, who inhabited this area. Later the name of this village was also the name of the people, who built houses for themselves in the form of in-depth excavation of caves in diameter from 8 to 13 meters. In some of them you can get only on a rope or rope ladder.

Typically the "house" consists of several floors — two and sometimes three. On the ground floor are the living room, on the second small cell designed for utility rooms. As the house dug a sufficient depth (9-12 meters), the temperature characteristic of the desert in them is not felt, when the forty degrees heat in them is always cool. Itself earthen pit, which was dug originally called haouch. After, in the Park of a small mountain or hill pulled out the other rooms (bedrooms, closets, kitchen, small extra room (possibly for guests), and sometimes even stalls for cattle). To bring animals to the surface existed hidden moves that were a little further from the main entrance.

Every new house built more than one family and the whole village is, after all, to dig such a big hole in the solid rock had to spend a lot of time and effort. The village of Matmata is located 700 caves. Now a few of them opened hotels and small restaurants for tourists.