The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-04-10
ODD RACE LIVES IN
UNDERGROUND CAVES
Troglodytes of North Africa
Antedate the Arabs.

d EdSe 80 ldE dUtcudLluS Tie AIdDS III
North Africa that its origin Is lost In
antiquity were found by Horace d.
Ashton, fellow of the Royal Geog-
raphicaI society and a member of the
Explorers club. during his travels a
year ago into the unfrequented To-
calities Of Africa a few hundred miles
south Of the Mediterranean coast Mr..
Ashton calls these people the frog
lodytes, a word meaning cave jewellers,
Of Southern Tunisia. Their head
quarters is in a section 300 miles south
of the site of ancient Carthage, In
the hills known as the Matmata pla-
teau.
"There are practically 10000 Of
these cave dweIlers." says Mr.. Ashton
In describing some of their peculiari-
ties ii the travel bulletin issued by the
French government tourist Office at 342
Madison avenue. mo doubt, 1000
years ago they were living a pastoral
life In tents at the foothills, but the
armies of the Caesars, after conquer
ing Carthage, swept south and men
aced them so that they took refuge in
the rocky hilltops, where they dug
themselves In between layers Of rock.
To-day most of them live Just as
the invaders left them, as these refuge
caves solved a great problem IN house
construction in a place where there Is
practically no wood. Utilizing one
stratum of hard rock as a floor and the
one above as a ceiling, they dig cham
bers into the comparatively soft mari
between, whose dimensions are about
20 feet long, s feet wide and with
ceilings forming a perfect arch s feet
high, the whole finished with crude
cement and then whitewashed."
No Furniture in Homes.
Many of the houses, according 70
Mr.. Ashton, contain several chambers,
some opening from the main room.
but often with independent entrances,
except in the case Of the harems, or
Women's quarters Furniture is vir-
tually absent. The bed is really plat
form or shelf in the far end Of the
room, about three feet above the level
Of the floor. In only one house did
Mr.. Ashton see a table, and that was
In the home Of Sheik Mohammed Lafet
of Duirat. He had a plain table, upon
which were his papers and some pho
tographs sent by former visitors.
Along the side walls of the occupied
rooms are divans, upon which the oc-
cupants sit, as there are no chairs. In
the women's quarters will be found
looms and earthen bowls in which the
native dishes are prepared. There are
also many huge jars filled with olive
oil, dates, figs and other staple foods.
"As the various towns are usually
dug into the conical hills. composed of
a succession of strata sometimes ris-
ing to a height of 1000 feet" says Mr..
Ashton, "the streets are arranged like
terraces or huge steps, eliminating in
citadel on the summit, which served
as q storehouse and place Of refuge In
the frequent wars which prevailed
until the coming of the pacifying
French influence Looking out from
one of these citadels toward the op-
posite mountains, the view greatly re-
sembles that Of the region Of the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado, as the
erosion and coloring are much the
same.
Cave Town of Matmata.
"Sixty miles south Of the cave town
of Medenine is the strangest place of
all, that Of Matmata- While the In
habitants appear to be Of similar race.
their houses are great wells, which dot
the valley as far as the eye can see.
Surrounded on all sides by low noun
tains, on top of the loftiest of which
can be seen their ancient fortresses
and cItadels, the valley of Matmata
covers more than three square miles.
1t presents to the eye Of the stranger
a most astonishing sight, for the whole
floor of the valley is dotted with the
openings Of huge circular wells, about
60 or 20 feet in diameter, open to the
sky and about 80 feet deep.
"In all the valley there are only
three buildings, and they have only re
Gently been built by the French--a
school, a mosque and a market. Yet
in this valley are said to dwell more
than 1900 souls without single tent
or house as we know the word.
Their strange subterranean homes
are entered through dark. sloping tun-
nels, usually branching off into small
stables on the way, and opening finally
into circular courtyard, 30 feet be
low the level. around the vertical sides
of which are dug the rooms of the &C
cupants.
"Some Of these dwellings are quite
spacious, often consisting Of series
of wells, entered from the first by con
meeting passages. These wells are the
harems or dwellings of married sons
or relatives. Here IN Matmata there
has sprung up Of necessity distinct
code of etiquette. which forbIds the
approach of any one to the upper edge
OF one Of these walls. for these people
are all Moslems and are extremely
fanatical. guarding very strictly theis
!. women from the gaze Of al men
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