Beyond The Ruins Of Zraoua (1/3)

Ancestral Engineering At Its Finest

Photo Credit: Slim Medimegh

The village of Zraoua, in southern Tunisia, is part of the Jebel Dahar settlements whose populations were subjected to a programmed displacement process starting in the second half of the 20th century. This abandoned village presents an interesting case study of vernacular architecture and the cultural landscape of the Mediterranean mountain regions. The biophysical dimension and social structure are essential to understanding the diversity and specificity of the region's patio house (intra-muros house, semi-troglodytic house, house on the ridge, and house on the hillside), reconstructing the various stages of urban evolution, and comprehending a landscape construction model particularly adapted to the scarce resources of the territory (terraces in the valleys, draining surfaces on the slopes, and cisterns).

The Matmata massif is the northern part of the Dahar mountain range, which dominates the landscape of southeastern Tunisia. This mountain forms a northwest/southeast-oriented arc and is composed of three main units: Jebel Matmata in the north, Jebel Demmer and Jebel Labiodh in the center, and Jebel Nefoussa in Libya. This vast area is characterized by a common natural landscape and a cultural and economic human identity that defines the Berber tribal society inhabiting this region.