Photos inside cave dwellings and villages from around the world

Fern McErlaneJan 13, 2024, 01:15 IST

A traditional Berber-style cave home in Matmata, Tunisia.Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

For millennia, people have lived in cave dwellings around the world.
Though few are still inhabited, most are open to tourists.

Many historical cave villages dug into sandstone or volcanic rock have survived around the world, with families still living in some, and others now open for tourists to visit.

At the Kome Caves in Lesotho, a small community of residents do regular upkeep on their cave dwellings by reapplying mud and manure each year; elsewhere, in Kinver, England, as many as 50 people may have lived in a single cave village at one time.

One cave hotel in Tunisia, Hotel Sidi Driss, was even a filming location for "Star Wars."

Take a look at cave homes around the world.

These cottages built into sandstone cliffs at Kinver Edge are the last of their kind in England.

The Kinver Edge cave houses are dug deep into sandstone.Mike Kemp/Getty Images

Inside, several Kinver Edge cave homes have been restored and filled with classic furniture and decorations.

The cave house interiors have been restored by the National Trust.Mike Kemp/Getty Images

Cappadocia in Turkey is famous for its cave homes, and some are still lived in today.

The old town of Ürgüp in Cappadocia has many homes dug into the sandstone.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Some Cappadocia cave homes have now been turned into boutique hotels.

Homes, shops, and warehouses are surrounded by steep cliffs.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Local families of Lesotho, Southern Africa, still live in traditional mud dwellings known as the Kome Caves.

Kome Caves site in the district of Berea, Lesotho.Marco Longari/Getty Images

Residents of the Kome Caves do regular upkeep on their homes by reapplying mud and manure to the walls.

Two residents of the Kome Caves sit in front of their homes in 2022.Marco Longari/Getty Images

Cave homes in Gharyan, Libya, are dug vertically into the ground with a center courtyard.

The courtyard area of a multiple-family cave residence in Libya.Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

Some families still visit their Gharyan cave homes in the summer, and the homes are open to the public.

The cave interiors feature colorful Berber decorations.Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

A man in Herzliya, Israel, is fighting authorities to remain in his self-created beachside cave home.

Nissim Kahlon's sandstone cave home is only accessible by a ladder from the beach.Ariel Schalit/AP

The inside of the Herzliya coastal cave home has many rooms decorated with handcrafted mosaics.

Kahlon's home is filled with recycled items, including discarded mosaic tiles that he picked up from dumpsters in Tel Aviv over the years.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

A village of hobbit-style cave homes was carved in Langenstein, Austria.

A home in the Harz village.Stephan Schulz/Getty Images

Only five of the Langenstein homes are open to the public, with the last resident dying just over 100 years ago.

Inside one of the five cave homes open to the public for tours.Matthias Bein/Getty Images

In Matmata, Tunisia, a traditional Berber village is open to tourists to promote local culture.

Deeply carved passageways of the homes in Berber Village, Matmata.Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

One Matmata cave hotel was used as a location in "Star Wars."

A decorated bedroom In Berber Village features rugs and wall hangings.Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

I've done pricey character dining at Disney World and Universal. Disney has higher quality food, but Universal has better theming.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website