Tunisia Way

HADDEJ

I have to be honest: I found it hard to enjoy myself when I visited Haddej. There aren't all too many troglodyte dwellings to see, and the ones you can locate are mostly in bad shape.
And the kids that keep following you around are more annoying than any other place I have visited. If they don't get paid after leading you to some other troglodyte dwelling than the one you wanted to see (most families owning a troglodyte dwelling charge entrance fees, so there is money to earn for the clever kids), they react with throwing stones and spitting on you. And local adults seem to think that this is good behaviour.

Should you decide to visit Haddej — which there is little reason to do, despite that some travel guide books will try to make you believe that it is just as good as Matmata — the marriage cave and the partly used dwelling (on photo above) to the right from the entrance to the village are your best bets.

Landscape of white domes

Haddej does not only have attractions under ground. Above the ground you will find a landscape that is scattered with white domes, each and everyone is built around a holy Muslim man. The domed buildings are called zawiyyas, and can in some cases double as mosques.
In most cases, though, they are places for prayer, as the saints are believed to have specific powers. One saint can be beneficial for people seeking fertility or a good marriage, others can be good for the agriculture etc.

EL HAOUARIA

The Roman caves 

El Haouaria is best known for the Roman quarries, now called Ghar el-Kebir. When the Romans rebuilt Carthage as Roman city, much of the stone needed was taken out of the mountain close to El Haouaria, and the holes are now known as the Roman caves.

The first to quarry the hills beneath El Haouaria were the Carthaginians in the 6th century BCE. The attraction was yellow to orange sandstone of excellent quality, which could easily be worked.
  Rather soon it was discovered that the finest quality stones were deep down, which is the explanation for the tunnels digging deep down. Imagine what an effort was put into dragging the large stones out of the holes. These were, however, easily transported down to the sea, where boats would transport them to many cities around the Gulf of Carthage.

Scenes from the town

El Haouaria is a nice, relaxed town leaning on the Sidi Abioud Mountain, on the northern tip of the Cap Bon. It has turned its back on the Mediterranean, and oversees the fields in the inland.
There is little to nothing to see here, but at least it presents what the real Tunisia is like. The marabout (top photo) may be noted, but the excursions out of town is the real reason for coming here. In addition to the Roman quarries, the Sidi Abioud Mountain can be quite interesting in May and June. At that time of the year, thousands of birds await thermal winds that will carry them across the ocean to Sicily. East of Gibraltar, this is the closest point between Africa and Europe. This is also the time of the year when El Haouaria stages its falconry festival.