The Ksour of Tataouine

Across the arid south, Berber communities stored grain in ghorfas, barrel-vaulted cells stacked several storeys high around a courtyard and fortified against raiding. Each family held cells, and the whole structure, a ksar, functioned as a communal strongroom, often built on a defensible ridge above the fields. Ksar Ouled Soltane is the most complete, with courtyards of honey-coloured vaults rising four levels connected by projecting stone stairs. Ksar Hadada was used as a filming location for Star Wars, which brings a steady trickle of visitors. Chenini, built into a mountainside with a white mosque above and cave houses below, is the most dramatically sited of the villages in the region.

What you actually see

• Ksar Ouled Soltane - the best-preserved granary, with stacked vaulted cells around courtyards.
• Chenini - a cliffside Berber village with cave dwellings and a white hilltop mosque.
• Ksar Hadada - a granary reused as a Star Wars location.
• Douiret - another abandoned hillside village with a striking setting.

When to go

October to April; the south is extremely hot from May onwards. Early and late light is much kinder to the ochre stonework and to the visitor.

Honest expectations

The sites are scattered across a wide area of desert road and cannot be done without a car or hired driver. Several are partly ruined and restoration quality varies. Guides at some ksour are informal and will expect payment. The Star Wars connection is heavily promoted and can overshadow the far more interesting local history.

Nearby

Matmata's pit dwellings are north; the island of Djerba lies northeast on the coast.