Matmata Desert, one of Tunisia’s most iconic Star Wars filming locations.
Photo by Aurore Kervoern via Canva
Until we arrived in southern Tunisia and headed toward the high desert of Tatouine Governate, I never knew that George Lucas had selected this desolate state as his inspiration for Luke Skywalker’s home planet.
Lucas wanted an arid, barren place to film the beginning scenes of the epic series, Star Wars, Episode IV, A New Hope, and the harsh environment of Tatouine captured his image of the fantasy planet. He even borrowed the location’s name, changing the spelling by one letter, ou to oo, to produce Tatooine.
Filming Challenges in the Desert
But as Lucas was about to find out, filming scenes for a movie in south Tunisia in 1976 challenged the crew beyond imagination. On the first day of filming, an unusual torrential storm with flash floods rained down upon the desert, washing out their equipment.
Without established phone lines in this remote area, replacing cameras and props became an arduous task. But as we know, George Lucas would not be deterred.
The following are some of the Star Wars filming sites in Tunisia. GPS coordinates are offered for each site to help the reader locate it on Google Maps or find the position, if driving independently through southern Tunisia. All coordinates throughout this article originated from this website: www.tunisiaonline.com/star-wars-tunisia/.
Matmata
Latitude/longitude coordinates for GPS: 33.54253, 9.9673441
Photo by Carol Bowman
Within the state of Tatouine, the Berber village of Matmata, dotted with troglodyte dwellings constructed underground to protect residents from sandstorms, intense heat and frigid cold nights, provided our first Star Wars thrill, Hotel Sidi Idriss.
As we walked through the subterranean corridors, Star Wars memorabilia jumped off the walls. This hotel provided lodging for the actors during the filming of Episode IV. It also served as the setting of the interior of the Lars Homestead, where Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen raised Luke Skywalker.
The crew returned here again in 2002 to film shots for Episode II, Attack of the Clones.
To increase tourism and occupancy, the owners of this rudimentary hotel painted names of the saga’s fictional characters above each chamber door so that clientele could choose the room of their favorite: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and others.
Framed screenshots and props left behind after filming spur on the fanatics. It might be silly, but I felt a reconnection to the early episode of this iconic series, which I saw almost 50 years ago.
Best Star Wars Tours in Tunisia
Ksar Ouled Sultane
Latitude/longitude coordinates for GPS: 32.788361, 10.514989
Outside of the capital city of Tatouine, bearing the same name as the entire Governate, Star Wars aficionados find Ksar Ouled Sultane.
This complex of 15th-century fortified granaries served as food storage chambers, spaces to hide personal valuables, and the protection of citizens from raiders. It remains a well-preserved, extremely popular tourist attraction.
There is disagreement as to whether this compound of granaries, called a ksar with its outdoor staircases, provided the backdrop of the slave quarters in Episode I, The Phantom Menace, filmed in 1996.
A shop dug into the hillside outside the complex provides a wide variety of Star Wars memorabilia for sale.
Ksar Hedada
Latitude/longitude coordinates for GPS: 33.100502, 10.313744
Photo by Carol Bowman
Another nearby granary, Ksar Hedada, also lays claim to this same footage of slave quarters. A plaque dedicated to George Lucas for using Ksar Hedada as the filming site for the Tatooine town Mos Espa hangs outside its walls. This plaque does give it an edge in the dispute.
Ksar Hedada now operates as a hotel and eager employees show visitors the interior of the house of Luke’s mother, Anakin, also filmed during Episode I. I felt that recent renovations to this site detracted from its authenticity.
A nearby market also sells Star Wars souvenirs. Regardless of which film clips made the cut, both Ksar Ouled Sultane and Ksar Hedada offer fascinating examples of early Berber architecture and both have elements well worth the visit.
Chott el Djerid
Latitude/longitude coordinates for GPS: 33.8428223, 7.779038
The largest salt lake in Africa, Chott el Djerid spans 160 miles between the Tunisian oasis city of Tozeur and Algeria.
Although we did not have time to make the turn off near Tozeur to drive to the Star Wars film location of the small igloo-style structure that sits alone in the middle of the salt flat, we received the scoop on this iconic landmark.
It appeared in Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, Episode II, Attack of the Clones, and Episode IV. In addition, it served as the exterior of the Lars Homestead on the planet Tatooine. This salt lake also provided the backdrop for Luke Skywalker’s dramatic image of binary sunsets.
Djerba Island
Latitude/longitude coordinates for GPS: 33.748033, 10.734951
To get to these iconic Star Wars filming locations, the traveler must fly into Djerba International Airport in southern Tunisia. Djerba Island, a trendy Mediterranean beach resort and fishing town with centuries of Jewish heritage secrets, remains the gateway to all points of interest in the south.
Two of the sixteen filming or scouting locations in Tunisia for George Lucas’s Star Wars Saga remain here on the island. Still, the dilapidated condition of the buildings used makes these sites less exciting.
The exterior of the house of Ben-Obi-Wan-Kenobi, which appears in Episode IV, now functions as a storage facility for local fishermen.
Lucas selected a former bakery in 1976 in Ajim, Djerba, as the exterior of the Mos Eisley Cantina, showing characters entering for the iconic bar scene, also in Episode IV, but that structure is now in ruins.
The crew filmed the iconic interior bar shots in Hollywood, where Han Solo, Chewbacca, the ghouls, and otherworldly creatures appear.
Experience Star Wars Locations
After my husband and I glimpsed real-world locations that brought Star Wars’ galaxy planet of Tatooine to life, we followed the advice of other travelers who had experienced the same.
Upon returning home from our Tunisian adventure, we rented each Star Wars episode and watched with eager anticipation for the scenes of places we had visited. When we saw the interior of the Lars homestead, we jumped up and both shouted, “We were right there,” and this joy repeated itself often.
Beyond Star Wars
North Africa’s gem, Tunisia, with its splendid adventures covering centuries of history, Mediterranean beaches, Roman ruins, the Sahara Desert, mountain hideaways and idyllic artist communities, has other rarely considered attractions: Star Wars film locations.
These sites dazzle the fanatic and make a simple movie-goer smile. If the aficionado needs more, one can book special tours to visit every Star Wars filming location in southern Tunisia.
Inspire your next adventure with our articles below:
Author Bio: Carol retired to Lake Chapala, Mexico, in 2006 with her husband to pursue more positive passion. She has taught English to Mexican adults and disadvantaged local children for the past 18 years. She writes for local, international, online, and print publications. Using her adventures in over 120 countries, she has captured a niche in travel writing, and her stories have been featured in Go World Travel Magazine.
A frequent contributor to El Ojo del Lago, the largest English-language magazine in Mexico, she’s won several literary awards from that publication. Her psychiatric field work netted a contribution to the anthology, Tales from the Couch. Recently, she has also been featured in two more anthologies, Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexican Holidays, and Bravados, Life, Love and Living in Lake Chapala, Mexico, all available on amazon.com.
Want to discover more hidden gems and helpful travel tips? Join our free newsletter for the latest travel secrets and travel articles.
We are reader-supported and may earn a commission on purchases made through links in this article.
Go World Travel Magazine is a digital magazine for world travelers. Our editorial content is produced by a dedicated team of travel journalists who know the regions they cover. We cover travel in more than 90 countries.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,’script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘508388611737401’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
