The Ghorfas of Metameur

Metameur is a striking example of a ksar, a type of fortified village common in southern Tunisia. Parts of Metameur are composed of barrel-domed rooms, known as ghorfas, built in layers one on top of another to form a thick protective wall around the village. These cells, the upper ones reached by steep stairs, were used as granaries and storage rooms. They date back to the 15th century. Until the 1960s there were over 6000 ghorfas in the complex, but many have now been destroyed.