بَيْتُ صَالِحَة تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ

مَطْمَاطَةُ بَلْدَةٌ فِي الْجِبَالِ، فِي جَنُوبِ شَرْقِ تُونِسَ. وَهِيَ بَعِيدَةٌ عَنِ الْعَاصِمَةِ. فِيهَا بُيُوتٌ قَدِيمَةٌ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ، مِثْلَ الْكُهُوفِ. وَهَذِهِ الْبُيُوتُ مِنْ تُرَاثِ الْأَمَازِيغِ. وَحَوْلَ الْبَلْدَةِ أَشْجَارُ نَخِيلٍ وَزَيْتُونٍ. فِي كُلِّ بَيْتٍ سَاحَةٌ مُدَوَّرَةٌ، وَحَوْلَهَا غُرَفٌ فِي الصَّخْرِ. فِي الصَّيْفِ، يَحْمِي الْبَيْتُ النَّاسَ مِنَ الْحَرِّ الشَّدِيدِ. وَفِي الشِّتَاءِ، يَحْمِيهِمْ مِنَ الرِّيَاحِ. لَكِنَّ أُسَرًا كَثِيرَةً تَرَكَتْ هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتَ، وَبَقِيَتْ أُسَرٌ قَلِيلَةٌ. وَبَنَى بَعْضُ النَّاسِ بُيُوتًا حَدِيثَةً قُرْبَهَا. صَالِحَةُ مُحَمَّدِي عُمْرُهَا سِتٌّ وَثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً. تَعِيشُ فِي بَيْتٍ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ مَعَ زَوْجِهَا وَأَوْلَادِهَا الْأَرْبَعَةِ. تَقُولُ صَالِحَةُ: أَنَا مُرْتَاحَةٌ فِي بَيْتِي. وَتَقُولُ: يَأْتِي تُونِسِيُّونَ فِي الْعُطَلِ لِيَرَوْا هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتَ. وَيَزُورُ السُّيَّاحُ بَيْتَهَا، وَيَدْفَعُونَ لَهَا بَعْضَ الْمَالِ. وَلَطِيفَةُ بِنْ يَحْيَى تَعِيشُ وَحْدَهَا فِي بَيْتٍ فِيهِ خَمْسُ غُرَفٍ. تَقُولُ: إِذَا تَرَكْتُ الْبَيْتَ، يَضِيعُ. وَهَادِي عَلِي كَيَّال عُمْرُهُ خَمْسٌ وَسِتُّونَ سَنَةً. هُوَ يَعْرِفُ كَيْفَ يَبْنِي هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتَ. وَبَعْدَ الْمَطَرِ، يَأْتِي وَيُصْلِحُ الْبُيُوتَ. وَالنَّاسُ فِي مَطْمَاطَةَ يَعِيشُونَ مِنَ الزَّيْتُونِ وَالسِّيَاحَةِ. لَكِنَّ السُّيَّاحَ الْيَوْمَ أَقَلُّ مِنْ قَبْلُ. وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ، مَا زَالَتْ أُسَرٌ قَلِيلَةٌ تَعِيشُ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ، مِثْلَ صَالِحَةَ وَلَطِيفَةَ.

Matmata is a town in the mountains, in the south-east of Tunisia. And it is far from the capital. It has old houses under the ground, like caves. And these houses are part of the heritage of the Amazigh people. And around the town there are palm trees and olive trees. In every house there is a round courtyard, and around it there are rooms in the rock. In summer, the house protects people from the strong heat. And in winter, it protects them from the wind. But many families left these houses, and only a few families stayed. And some people built modern houses near them. Saliha Mohammadi is thirty-six years old. She lives in a house under the ground with her husband and her four children. Saliha says: I am comfortable in my home. And she says: Tunisians come in the holidays to see these houses. And tourists visit her house, and they pay her some money. And Latifa Ben Yahia lives alone in a house with five rooms. She says: if I leave the house, it will be lost. And Hadi Ali Kayal is s