Star Wars location spotting in Tunisia

The unconditional fans of Star Wars have an inmissable date in Tunisia. George Lucas chose several venues in the country to film the great intergalactic saga and the remains of the decoration are still preserved.

The American director, conquered by the beauty of Southern Tunisia, decided to make a tribute to this region by providing a derivation of the city name Tataouie to one of the planets of the saga, that is to say, Tatooine. For lovers and fans of Star Wars that are planning to go Tunisia please see below the sets of Star Wars that can be found almost intact today:

1. Mos Espa, a spaceport on Tatooine. The desert planet located in the Outer Rim territories of the Star Wars anniversary where Anakin Skywalker –future Darth Vader– spent his childhood with his friends, mother and the junkyard Watto. A few tens of kilometres from Tozeur, in the middle of the desert, we can find this setting.

1. Lars homestead. The homestead had two different scenarios for the shooting. On the one hand, the outside area of the famous igloo, which is the main element of the film set. It is located in the vast dry salt plain near the Chott the Jerid (centre of Tunisia). Fort he interior of the house of Luke Skywalker who lived there at the beginning of Episode IV, A new Hope, the director turned to one of the interior courtyards of the Hotel Troglodyte Moula Idris, Matmata.

1. The house of Anakin Skywalker. The castles (“ksour” in Arab Maghrebi) of the cities of Medenine and Hadada served as the setting for the slave quarters of Mos Espa, in Episode I of Star Wars, home of “Ani” Skywalker and his mother, Shmi, both slaves of Watto the junkyard. George Lucas filmed two scenes in this location: – the arrival of Anakin in the storm and the departure with Qui-Gon and the farewell to Shmi. Then, the place was called “Skywalker Alley”.

1. The Mos Eisley Cantina. It is located on the Tatooine planet, which is the shelter of intergalactic smugglers, bounty hunters, misfits and spices traffickers. In Episode IV, A New Hope, the jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker meet Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Cantina. Today, we can find the remains of the canteen in Ajim, on the island of Djerba.

1. The “Star Wars Canyon”. It is located near the village of Dakas, about forty kilometres from Nefta, and flags the entry of the Sidi Bouhlel Mosque. It has provided the setting of the first and fourth episode that served as dwelling to the raiders “tusken” or sand people.