THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
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Photo by Genet 
RACING CAMEL FROM GHADAMES: IT STANDS ABOUT 3 METERS (9.84 FEET) HIGH 
mals are watered only once in every 24 
hours, and then not all they want. 
The inhabitants of Matmata cultivate 
olive trees. There are 60,000 trees in 
the district, but the oil is rather a poor 
quality, owing to the crude method of 
making it. 
On the drive from Gabes to Matmata 
we passed fields of barley and some 
wheat, the ears of which turn black 
when ripe. There is no wood except the 
olive trees, and the inhabitants of all this 
part of the country use dried camel dung 
for fuel. 
THE LORD OF THE DISTRICT 
The Caid of Matmata is a very intelli- 
gent Arab, who had been caid at Mat- 
mata for about one month. For years 
he had been caliph at Zarzis, a pretty 
little French town on the coast, and the 
change to Matmata must have been an 
unwelcome one in spite of his advance- 
ment from caliph to caid. His dwelling 
was a Matmata Troglodyte hole, the en- 
trance and walls of which were white- 
washed, and in some of his cave-rooms 
he had installed European furniture. 
The description of one dwelling answers 
for all: so let us take that of Sheik 
Ferdjani, of the tribe of Achéches. His 
home is a large and typical one (see pic- 
tures, pages 817, 818, 819). 
THE HOME OF A SHEIK 
Matmata has a special code of eti- 
quette. Never approach near enough to 
another man’s dwelling to look down 
into the great circular courtyard and see 
his women. It is not only bad form, but 
it is dangerous. Each dwelling has num- 
bers of white Kabyle dogs that keep a 
constant watch, and on your approach 
would fly at you and like to tear you 
into pieces. Never enter a passageway 
to a dwelling without sending in a small 
boy or girl to let the women know that 
you are coming. 
Sheik Ferdjani asks us to enter. A 
young man burns a handful of dried 
esparto-grass, which flames up brightly 
and shows us the steps and turns down 
the tunnel. I almost fell over a donkey 
eating its hay. Great eyes glared at me 
from out of the blackness. On coming 
into the large, round courtyard one 
