Old Toujane
Stone houses above the gorge.
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Toujane is an Amazigh (Berber) village in the Matmata hills of south-eastern Tunisia, split in two by a deep ravine. Its old stone quarter steps up one slope, facing newer homes across the gorge, and melts into the hillside. Some sources date its founding to the 12th century. From the 1970s many families left for jobs abroad or new towns on the plain; one guide counts nearly 200 empty houses, though a few whitewashed ones are lived in. The Mareth Line, French defences of the late 1930s, ran along a wadi that climbs from the coast to Toujane. On 6 March 1943, in the Battle of Medenine, Axis tanks came down from these heights; the failed attack, abandoned at dusk, was Rommel's last battle in North Africa. René Vautier and Nicole Le Garrec filmed the end of La Folle de Toujane (1974) here. Walk the old lanes, then climb to the ruined fortified ksar above the village for views over the valley. Toujane's women weave carpets, kilims and margoum; in 2018 about twenty launched a handmade carpet label, Tazerbit, using wool dyed with local plants. Small roadside cafés, some selling crafts, overlook the village. Toujane sits on the Matmata–Medenine road, 25 to 30 km by road from Matmata and about 40 km from Medenine. Houmt Souk is 81 km away as the crow flies, two hours or more by road; pair it with Matmata on a day trip from Djerba. Hilltop Chenini lies 63 km south as the crow flies, about 100 km by road. October to April is best.
Stone houses above the gorge.
A fortified ksar over the valley.
Rugs woven by village women.
Old Toujane, Matmata hills, Gabès governorate, on the Matmata–Medenine road
Both are woven wool floor rugs; a margoum differs from a kilim in the woven motifs that decorate it.
Yes, a few small guesthouses take guests, some in traditional houses; options are limited, so book ahead.