On Sunday, after re-packing one day’s needs into very small piece of luggage each, we headed off to our Saharan tent camp location. This involved our big bus driving west across the top of the southern half of Tunisia (the one containing most of the sandy Sahara).
On the way, we toured a traditional 400-year-old Berber troglodyte home in Tunisia, guided by a local expert. The guide shared the history of the Berber people’s migration to the Atlas Mountains to escape conflict, explaining how they dug homes into sandstone for protection and natural climate control. We met Miriam and her family, observing their way of life—from grinding flour with stones to making harissa. The visit concluded with a shared meal of fresh bread, honey, and olive oil, accompanied by traditional tea. The houses are dug into soft sandstone to provide natural protection and insulation against extreme temperatures Berber families originally moved to these mountain areas to escape historical migrations from the south. Homes were built with hidden entrances and camouflage to protect residents from outsiders A traditional wooden door, often cured in salt lakes for a year, serves as the primary security for the household. The fish symbol is a common protective emblem used by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in the area The "Hand of Fatima" (five fingers) is used to ward off the "evil eye", and represents the five pillars of Islam for some families. Combining the fish and hand symbols is believed to multiply the spiritual protection of the home. Traditionally, Berber women in this community only left their homes three times in their entire life: for their wedding preparation, moving to their husband's house, and their funeral. The guest room was strictly managed by the father; once tea was served, it was a polite signal for guests that the visit had concluded. Historical gender roles dictated that women spent the night on the floor or a separate bed after spending time with their husbands.
The kitchen uses large terracotta jars as a natural "fridge" to keep grains, dried beans, and spices cool and fresh. Traditional hospitality includes serving fresh bread made from hand-ground wheat or barley, paired with honey and olive oil. The local mint tea is a significant cultural staple, often cited by visitors as the best in the country due to its unique preparation. Miriam chose to stay in the ancestral home to care for her mother, Zohra, who lived to be 86 years old. Because she did not marry or have children before reaching a certain age, she remains the caretaker of the house. Despite her brothers having rights to the property, they honor a family agreement allowing her to live there for the rest of her life. She maintains the household by grinding flour by hand and hosting visitors to share her heritage.
Soon, we arrived at a small hotel where we disembarked into four 4-wheel drive small powerful SUVs to traverse the windy sand dune moguls another 30 miles into our tent camp. Glamping is what we’d call it back home, because these were not tents. They were more like canvas-sided, clustered, very comfy tiny houses. They had great beds and bathrooms, magnificent OBWan Kanobe robes, eye-popping night skies after beautiful wine-toasting sunsets. We were treated to a demonstration by the resident bedouin-raised chef to bread-making on a ground fire, and to roasting the main meal in metal pots in deep hole pits. No internet, not ambient lights, but camels definitely walking through the camp, and on full display at sunrise. The rest of the world really didn’t matter, as we’d soon be returning to it tomorrow.
To see all of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, May 3rd, Saharan Douz, Tunisia
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