The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-27
HOMES OF TR0GLODYTES.
FOUR THOUSAND LTrE UNDERGROUND
~ AFRICAN VALLEYS.


The anciohts know vaguely that in certain
! parts OF Africa there were tribes who had
their homes in caves or excavations. part
Of the continent now included In southern
Egypt was called the country OF tho Ethiopian
| troglodytes. They were also said to inhabit
the mountains Of North Africa. They were
represented by tho ancient writer's as living
In holes in the ground and as being skilfur
hunters. though they subsisted largely on tina
| flesh OF serpents and lizards. They were said
to be very poor people. Their only trade with
the outer world was said to be confined to the
gem known as tho carbunclc. which they obs
tanned from other tribes. Their language was
said to have nothing in common with that Oh
other peoples. and their voices were compared
| to the strident cry OF tho bat.
| The rather incoherent and fantastic informa@
| ton recorded by the ancicnts about the troglox
| dytes was received with incredulity by modern
| geographcrs who relegated these stories I'd
the realm Of fable. Seventy years ago how'd
ever. the world began to think that there was
| some truth after all in the tales about the
troglodytos. In 1921 Capt. Lyons. an EngS
lishman. astonished geographers with the re-
port that four days march southwest OF Tri-
| poll was tho village Of the Beni-Abbas. who;
| lived in caves they had dug In the sandy clay,
| or which they had excavated In the calcareou(
rock. His account was substantiated By Mr{
Delaporte. n French Consul. by an Egyptian
| sheik. and by other men regarded as truthful
| In 1859 the learned explorer. DR.. Nachtigal.
| found hidden away in the valley Of Tao (which;
may be seen on any good map in the heart Of
| Tibesti) the caves Of tho Tubu tribe. who were
| said to be the direct descendants Of tho trog<
| lodytes whom Herodotus represented as bed
ing the victims of the Garamantes. the ancient
inhabitants OF Fezzan. Two centres inhabited
| by cave jewellers had thus been discovered in
modern times. A third was added to the numi
Der when French soldiers. two years ago. pen<
etrated into the mountains which rise TO the
southwest Of Gabes. They found there dozen
struggling. underground villages that had
been dug into the slopes OF the hills Of Matmata
and Toujane. Gabes Is q coast settlement in
in southeast Algeria on the Gulf Of Gabes. The
cave villages are less than forty miles south-
west Of Gabes. The people who inhabit the
caves number about 1000. and are known as
the Matmatas They have since been visited j
by several explorers and naturalists. among,
whom is ME-. 7. Hamy, tho well-known an-
thropologist who has written an interesting
account Of his visit |
It is not long road. but It Is q very rough ,
one. that must be traversed in going from the
seacoast to the valleys inhabited by thesal
Troglodytes. A little stretch OF the arid des.]
ert of Araad is crossed. and then the travelleSl
kiuuuuhy ooSSHoo ouAOhB euo hAhS nuu ulOuusi
tains till. in the course Of two days travel. hof
reaches the two valleys inhabited by the cave
dwellers. Near them live the Zenati. Of the
same s SfhniS stock: whose dwellings. howevsF
tectural features Of the ancient Berber cities.
whose ruins IN "a. are scattered over Tunis
mos and Sse or two other tHss
Of life seen
the valley. The people are engaged at their
which nothing can be seen until the Visitor is
close upon them. or they are Of out Of view
their 81 Gsks sSS3
is and then oi S the Hvs
NJ; Hamy spent most Of his time has about
cavations was made in the Ii me me- Of the Ro-
mans or earlier. The caverns dug by ancient
in modern times have been added to the mum;
Der After digging thro9gh the e. surface sol!
finally q sort Of milestone is reached which 10
very difficult to excavate; Dwelling houses.
ss throuh tSs yss
Ing BY means OF a short ladder leading to the
These dwellings are lighted from the doorway.
which fronts on the perpendicular shaft. Other
and lighted by hole in the roof.
MI nanny utSCTlDtS oHe VI tH6 SAcdN6UlOu6
on. The establishment Is composed Of three
saSated rock. The two s'" chamb Il iaftRess
from the surface were not wholly completed:
e mffe s IN ahe
the grinding mill and its accessories. The en-
trance nee, to this prmitiXe workshop is dscorat-
out mortar around the orfiee Which ser serves s as
9 door; This architectural detail was borrowed
entrances to their subterranean houses with
walls Of rock correctly aligned No wood,
q ad Ra is f TN msEksd WITH asfp
are reddish in color, dry and hard. and here
and there embedded in them are helix shells.
rg ep9h W sre Gq Which IL
walls Of some apartments adjoining the Lying
rooms, where the family horse is tied. Near
provisions are stored.
The roofs are invariably vaulted. and closely
outer edges Of the roofs are gently curved.
and the cavity gives the impression OF q big
boat turned bottom UP on the seashore with
The Matmatas are both tillers of the ground
and have sheep in large num- numbers. and the
troglodytes make their way to the coast TO sell
their W9o Of raw and
dates, olives. ana figs and take considerable
amenities Of these products to Gabes where
commerce. which are more and more suppressed
ing articles of home manufacture MIR. Hamy
found in these underground dwellings Euro
pean earthenware. beads. a lantern Of French
manufacture. COPPER candlesticks. bottle Of
The people dress only In their native cloths,
and as rule serve their food In receptacles Of
basket work or wooden dishes. which they
make themselves.
Except for the Introduction OF these foreign
articles OF utility the people have not come at
clothing. weapons. and many other respects
they closely follow the habits and equipment
nft ha nnta IA INnrt inc ~ do In thntR
social condition, they resemble tho Arabs.
though they arc descended from the aborigines
OF the country. whom the Arabs found In pos.
session when they went westward ON their
con1uering way. They inter their dead. like
low the surface OF the soil. A traveller has
said OF them without exaggeration that in this
strange country the dead occupy the place us
ually devoted to the living. while the living
bury them selves. In veritabIe, sepulchres. An
Arab poet said OF these people that when you
readily imagine TINT they have been resuE.