This looks also better at night as you have a clear view of the stars with no light pollution as we are in rural Africa.

From the top-down, you can see the five holes where the Sidi Idris cave hotel is;

This was my room!   The double bed is really nice and much better than the simple mattress I had in Djerba.   Also, the fact you are in a cave makes the temperature just exactly right, outside in the evening (In November) I needed a hoody on, as it does get a bit chilly.

The fan room, well I’m not sure what to call it.  This close to the main courtyard has some photos of the original 1977 shooting, but a few other things like a Japanese couple who got married here.    None of the pictures is any better than anything you would find in a local science fiction shop.

This room full of mostly rubbish is in the closed-off area which was being repaired.   Apart from the stale bread that was here, this strange wardrobe thing interested me.   Is this where Luke keeps his power converters?

One of the other courtyards has some different rooms here, I guess you could sleep here, but you would need to hall yourself the steps with the ropes to access these.

1. Plans – 2. French Connection – 3. My hotel in Djerba – 4. El Griba synagogue outside – 5. El Griba synagogue inside – 6. Markets – 7. Christianity in Tunisia – 8. Ferry to mainland Tunisia – 9. Getting to Matmata, Tunisia – 10. Sidi Idris Hotel New Hope Star Wars filmset – 11. Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set – 12. Cave homes for would-be Jedis – 13. More what you don’t see in Star Wars at Hotel Sidi Idris – 14. How hospitable is Sidi Idris? – 15. ATM machines and drought – 16. Matmata Nouvelle (New Matmata) – 17. Tunisian butchers and fisherman – 18. Libyan and Algerian neighbours – 19. Jewellery businesses in Djerba – 20. Tunisia and Israel relations – 21. Hara Kebira, Jewish school, soap and TV repair shops – 22. Jewish community of Hara Kebira – 23. Going home

If you have seen Star Wars 9 Return of Skywalker – which came out in December 2019, and you should – ignore the naysayers you will enjoy it, you would have seen Rey returned to Luke’s childhood home only to find it an abandoned mess, and that loads of soil had fallen into the courtyard.

Thankfully this is not the case as it’s in excellent condition, but the same couldn’t be said for the neighbouring cave homes.

This one appears to be only lived in by animals, there are others in a far poorer condition which have the walls collapsed.

Here’s a house which is being refurbed!   think of the wonderful geek parties you could have here!!  Even do a bit of Cosplay dressing up if it’s not scorching hot!

The bedrooms look done.   The front entrance isn’t yet.

The “hallway”  which is a tunnel from the outside to the courtyard hole is done, and walls recently rendered and very nice it looks too.   I’m not sure how they came up with this painted or burnt on effects, but some of the tunnels in Sidi Driss looks very similar.   This one has the symbols of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Berber culture.   I’m guessing this will be rented out, and want to show peace and love to everyone I think.

1. Plans – 2. French Connection – 3. My hotel in Djerba – 4. El Griba synagogue outside – 5. El Griba synagogue inside – 6. Markets – 7. Christianity in Tunisia – 8. Ferry to mainland Tunisia – 9. Getting to Matmata, Tunisia – 10. Sidi Idris Hotel New Hope Star Wars filmset – 11. Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set – 12. Cave homes for would-be Jedis – 13. More what you don’t see in Star Wars at Hotel Sidi Idris – 14. How hospitable is Sidi Idris? – 15. ATM machines and drought – 16. Matmata Nouvelle (New Matmata) – 17. Tunisian butchers and fisherman – 18. Libyan and Algerian neighbours – 19. Jewellery businesses in Djerba – 20. Tunisia and Israel relations – 21. Hara Kebira, Jewish school, soap and TV repair shops – 22. Jewish community of Hara Kebira – 23. Going home

The hotel used for the Star Wars set was used in the original 1977 film was shot in 1976.

Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set:-

• This map shows you there are FIVE separate holes in the ground with rooms cut in the sides of the walls.   There are also corridors that connect these all together.
• Its 130km from Jof, the ferry port that you can get a boat from Djerba.   If you get the right bus from Djerba, you can go all the way there for something like 7 Dinar (£2)
• The underground hotel is great condition as here at the main courtyard the walls have been reinforced with concrete and then plaster and then painted, similar cave houses have collapsed in heavy rain in the past, this happened in the 1960s here in Matmata.
• Part of the caves is not in regular use, as there is some renovation being done.
• The wifi only works if you sit about 5 metres from the reception desk!   Wifi don’t work well in caves.   This is good as it is great to make the effort to chat and get to know the locals.
• Many of the people who hang out here are local Tunisians who come to use the bar and the food that is served.
• The hotel does not have a web site!!   You can’t book a room with many of the common online accommodation sites either!  I had to just email and myself and they kept our word I would be staying and they would have a place for me.  I don’t know when are their busy times.
• One of the locals got me to watch A New Hope on his laptop which had Arabic subtitles.
• There is a room with photos of some of the scenes shot from 1977 and also a picture of a Japanese couple who got married here.
• When you get here a local will constantly pressure you into buying a guided tour.  This can tiresome and off-putting but is part of the North African/Middle East life I’ve got used to.
• When I came in November 2019 there was almost no one staying here, I met one guy from Latvia briefly and some French and Chinese tourists came here to take pictures and then left.   Its a shame as the cave bedrooms are lovely to sleep in.
• The town looks nothing like the desert landscape with the two moons and the igloo-like structure that Luke exits the house out of, this is a completely different location, which is probably closer to the Sahara.   Actually, Matmata is quite green and has dates and olive trees and chickens running around everywhere.
• I think Tunisian Arabic sounds different from the Arabic I heard in the Middle East, as “la” is no in Arabic but Tunisians appear to say “ley” instead.  Its “lo” in Hebrew and “le” in Maltese which is all part of the Semitic language family.
• Some of the Berber people set up a table outside Sidi Idris hotel with locally made honey for sale.

Making a web site and perhaps putting in better wifi sounds like the dream IT job for someone out there….

Can you imagine with a bit of an investment and some slick marketing, meeting rooms in caves with projectors (and some nicer toilets) that this could be a great IT conference and training centre?   This would be a great way for hi-tech companies to treat their employees too.

1. Plans – 2. French Connection – 3. My hotel in Djerba – 4. El Griba synagogue outside – 5. El Griba synagogue inside – 6. Markets – 7. Christianity in Tunisia – 8. Ferry to mainland Tunisia – 9. Getting to Matmata, Tunisia – 10. Sidi Idris Hotel New Hope Star Wars filmset – 11. Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set – 12. Cave homes for would-be Jedis – 13. More what you don’t see in Star Wars at Hotel Sidi Idris – 14. How hospitable is Sidi Idris? – 15. ATM machines and drought – 16. Matmata Nouvelle (New Matmata) – 17. Tunisian butchers and fisherman – 18. Libyan and Algerian neighbours – 19. Jewellery businesses in Djerba – 20. Tunisia and Israel relations – 21. Hara Kebira, Jewish school, soap and TV repair shops – 22. Jewish community of Hara Kebira – 23. Going home

I got to Matmata, this hotel is pretty quiet in November.   There’s almost no one here apart from a few tour buses with French and Chinese visitors show up and people get off to take pictures and then leave.    Part of the fun of this place is actually sleeping on site.

Ok, so the big thing you notice is this is what historians call a “Trogolydyte” home.   This Berber people native to North Africa actually cut this huge hole in the ground and then dig holes in the side walls to make actual rooms.

Including the toilets

Here’s another hole in the ground.   The Sidi Idriss hotel is made of 5 main holes which have tunnels in between them, so with at least 20 bedrooms.   This gent is one of the local Berber people, he is wearing a traditional hooded woolly coat which some still do, but many wear most western clothes.

When you look outside, you will see the igloo entrance thing is nowhere to be seen.   This is because it isn’t here.   Star Wars director George Lucas used two different places for Luke Skywalker’s family home, and the desert with the entrance and outside antennae masts are actually somewhere in the Sahara a few hundred kilometres away.   I didn’t get to see these as you need a tour guide or a rental car to go and find them.

This is hotel is fascinating, as it’s not just from the best-loved movie ever but from a completely unique type of dwelling is fun to explore and stay here.   The surrounding town and landscape are beautiful and largely unspoilt.

1. Plans – 2. French Connection – 3. My hotel in Djerba – 4. El Griba synagogue outside – 5. El Griba synagogue inside – 6. Markets – 7. Christianity in Tunisia – 8. Ferry to mainland Tunisia – 9. Getting to Matmata, Tunisia – 10. Sidi Idris Hotel New Hope Star Wars filmset – 11. Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set – 12. Cave homes for would-be Jedis – 13. More what you don’t see in Star Wars at Hotel Sidi Idris – 14. How hospitable is Sidi Idris? – 15. ATM machines and drought – 16. Matmata Nouvelle (New Matmata) – 17. Tunisian butchers and fisherman – 18. Libyan and Algerian neighbours – 19. Jewellery businesses in Djerba – 20. Tunisia and Israel relations – 21. Hara Kebira, Jewish school, soap and TV repair shops – 22. Jewish community of Hara Kebira – 23. Going home

Rather than “a hive of scum and villainy,” a loathsome place described by Sta Wars character Obi Wan played by the polite and shrewd Alec Guinness, the area on the other side of the water isn’t bad, just more desert-like and free of tourists.

Getting a van to Matmata isn’t straight forward so in a hurry I jumped in a taxi van and got him to take me to Medinine, the nearest big city on the way.

I only saw this briefly, as I got to a coffee shop with a toilet and wifi that I could use to plan the next ad hoc bit to Matmata.   People here are friendly, and a young lad called Mohammed who spoke English gave me some help on how to get there.

Now I realise this place has these cosy looking Berber houses, which were used in Star Wars the Phantom Menace, but I’m guessing they could be a bit embarrassed about that now.

That afternoon, I was looking to find someone to pilot a ship and take me to a place I watched in my childhood, Mohammed and his father got to drive me in their Peugeot van all the way to Matmata.   We agreed on a price of 50 Dinar (£13) and after triple-checking, it would be 50 and absolutely no more, we set off, and got some diesel on the way, which then they asked for another 10 for fuel…  sigh…   Then the van came up with a dashboard error about ‘malfunctions des motor’ or something like that.

After a couple of checks and some unknown fiddling under the bonnet, we were off.

Only another big decision to be made, there are actually TWO Matmatas, which one has the legendary original Star Wars set?   Mohammed and Baba didn’t actually know.

1. Plans – 2. French Connection – 3. My hotel in Djerba – 4. El Griba synagogue outside – 5. El Griba synagogue inside – 6. Markets – 7. Christianity in Tunisia – 8. Ferry to mainland Tunisia – 9. Getting to Matmata, Tunisia – 10. Sidi Idris Hotel New Hope Star Wars filmset – 11. Secrets I learnt about the famous Matmata Star Wars set – 12. Cave homes for would-be Jedis – 13. More what you don’t see in Star Wars at Hotel Sidi Idris – 14. How hospitable is Sidi Idris? – 15. ATM machines and drought – 16. Matmata Nouvelle (New Matmata) – 17. Tunisian butchers and fisherman – 18. Libyan and Algerian neighbours – 19. Jewellery businesses in Djerba – 20. Tunisia and Israel relations – 21. Hara Kebira, Jewish school, soap and TV repair shops – 22. Jewish community of Hara Kebira – 23. Going home