The cave dwellers of Southern Tunisia

In Short

This travelogue records a Danish officer's ethnographical expedition through southern Tunisia in the late nineteenth century. Entrusted with collecting artifacts for the National Museum in Copenhagen, Daniel Bruun traverses mountain passes, desert oases, and hidden valleys with French military permission and local escorts. He documents subterranean settlements, local customs, architectural variations, wedding festivities, and funeral rites. The book remains a vivid historical portrait of North African troglodytic communities and Berber cultural geography, combining meticulous field observations, personal letters, and photographic documentation of a rapidly shifting frontier.

The Story

The narrative opens with the logistical preparation of an ethnographical mission. Sanctioned by museum authorities in Denmark and facilitated by French colonial officers, diplomatic representatives, and local merchants, Daniel Bruun sets out to study and collect artifacts from the cave-dwelling populations of southern Tunisia. Landing at Sfax, he observes the bustling trade in olives, sponges, and esparto grass alongside Roman ruins, before taking a vessel overnight to the coastal town of Gabés.

Equipped with horses and guided by Spahi escorts, Bruun ventures inland toward the Matmata mountains. As he reaches subterranean settlements like Hadeij and Beni Sultan, he observes how entire communities live within vaulted underground chambers surrounding central open-air courtyards. These structures prove remarkably adapted to the climate, keeping cool under intense heat while offering structural protection. Bruun visits cave-housed oil mills operated by camels and donkeys, examines cliff-side homes in Duirat, and observes abandoned mountain strongholds built high on rocky heights from earlier, less peaceful eras.

His journey is marked by personal encounters and detailed cultural observations. He dines on kus-kus while white-clad locals watch in silent formality, takes portraits of local leaders, and dispatches field letters home. He witnesses a five-day bridal festival, complete with musical performances, gun dances, stick fights, and communal feasts. Elsewhere, he observes the sobering impact of localized fevers, recording the sharp contrast between the wailing of mourners and the absolute silence of post-prayer rituals.

Navigating sudden torrential rains that turn parched riverbeds into dangerous torrents, Bruun presses farther south toward desert outposts like Aglat Merteba and Tatuin. Along the way, he encounters nomadic Tuareg traders, painstakingly examining their attire, leather arm guards, sardine-box tin amulets, and unique cross-hilted daggers. Throughout his travel, he reflects on the broader ethnological picture, drawing on contemporary research regarding Berber lineage, tribal structures, religious Marabout veneration, and the social dynamics governed by Islamic law and local custom. The journey concludes with his return northward through palm oases, having compiled a rich archive of drawings, photographs, and acquired artifacts.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Bruun secures official credentials, diplomatic recommendations, and local escorts before landing at Sfax. He meets Scandinavian traders, explores Roman remnants within the city, and sails south to Gabés to organize his inland expedition into the troglodyte country.

Into the Matmata mountains Guided by local officers and Spahis, the expedition ascends steep, stony mountain paths into valleys populated by underground cave dwellers. Bruun inspects subterranean houses, courtyard layouts, and cavernous olive mills that resemble church crypts.

Courts, feasts, and rain After observing local customs and sharing meals inside excavated guest-rooms, Bruun leaves the mountains just as torrential rains strike. Parched riverbeds turn into deep streams, threatening his collection of sketches, field notes, and purchased artifacts.

Celebrations and grief Returning to Hadeij, Bruun attends an elaborate multi-day wedding featuring gun dances and musical performances, while elsewhere witnessing the solemn funeral rites and loud lamentations of a community suffering from seasonal fevers.

Encounter at the desert outpost Reaching southern outposts near Aglat Merteba, Bruun encounters veiled Tuareg travelers. He negotiates the purchase of traditional daggers, hide bags, and tin amulet cases while recording details of their distinct dress and equipment.

Reflections on the region The author synthesizes his field observations with contemporary ethnological theories, analyzing Berber tribal divisions, traditional Marabout veneration, domestic structures, and the impact of geography on local life before concluding his journey through the lowland oases.

The People

• Daniel Bruun: The author and narrator, a inquisitive Danish officer and researcher. He wants to document troglodyte architecture and purchase genuine ethnographical artifacts for the National Museum. He navigates difficult terrain, military camps, and local etiquette with practical humor and discipline.
• Olaf Henriksen: The Vice-Consul for Sweden and Norway based in Sfax. He hosts Bruun upon his arrival, provides insights into local trade, and facilitates connections with local artists and officials.
• Mrs. Henriksen: An artistic Norwegian woman living in Sfax. She shares her landscape paintings of local tombs and Arab encampments, contributing artwork to illustrate Bruun's final manuscript.
• Colonel Gousset: The French commanding officer of the Spahis at Gabés. He assists Bruun by providing official support, fresh horses, military guides, and introductions to local leaders across the southern territories.
• Hamed: Bruun's attentive guide and attendant during the mountain journey. He manages logistics, advises on local customs regarding hospitality, and ensures the safety of gathered specimens during heavy rainstorms.
• Mansur: The third son of the local Khalifa. He accompanies Bruun through the Matmata region, demonstrating polite adherence to host-guest etiquette and pointing out weather shifts across the peaks.
• Belkassim: An assistant and companion during the mountain trek who helps organize local demonstrations, poses for costume photographs, and manages crowds during village celebrations.
• Akhemed: A veiled Tuareg traveler met near the southern desert wells. He refuses to part with the sacred contents of his tin amulets but negotiates the sale of his outer gear and traditional leatherwork.

In Its Own Voice

"The game was kept up without a pause, until the sun sank suddenly behind the mountains, and it was no longer possible to see, for twilight is unknown in these regions." Bruun watches young men playing a traditional ball game in the open square of Gabés as darkness falls.

"The cave is the original dwelling; the house followed as an appendage." The author summarizes his observations on the evolution of hillside and subterranean architecture in southern Tunisia.

"The plain extended on every side. The mountain to our left rose higher, that to the right retreated in a westerly direction." Bruun describes the vast, arid terrain while riding toward the southern outposts under intense desert heat.

What It's Really About

Beneath its surface as a travel narrative, the book explores how human populations adapt their architecture, social structures, and daily routines to extreme environments. Bruun examines the physical reality of subterranean living not as a primitive curiosity, but as a practical response to harsh heat and historical insecurity. The text contrasts enduring Berber traditions, Islamic fatalism, and local Marabout veneration with the expanding infrastructure of French colonial rule. It also serves as an inquiry into ethnology, tracking how trade, geography, and historical migrations shape distinct regional identities, tribal boundaries, and material culture across North Africa.

Why Read It Today

This book appeals to readers of classic travel literature, historical geography, and North African history. Reading it feels like joining an observant nineteenth-century field expedition, filled with visual details of rock-cut villages, desert outposts, and local festivals. Bruun writes with direct clarity, free from overly ornate prose, making his descriptions of terrain and daily encounters remarkably vivid.

Readers should note the period perspectives standard in late-nineteenth-century European travel writing. The text contains generalizations regarding ethnicity, regional temperaments, and religious practices that reflect early colonial ethnology and contemporary anthropological theories rather than modern scholarship. Additionally, the spelling of Arabic terms and geographic names follows nineteenth-century European transliterations. Despite these period constraints, the book remains a fascinating historical document that captures a distinct landscape and its communities at a moment of profound regional transition.

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