To mark the occasion of my 50th (country visited, not my birthday.) I knew I wanted to do something special. Since watching the entire original Star Wars trilogy at a Brighton cinema in 1983 I’ve been a massive fan of George Lucas’ mythical universe, even managing to visit a few of the real-life filming locations like the beautiful Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como, the Plaza de Espana in Seville, and the Redwood Forest National Park in California. But for any Star Wars fan hoping to follow in Han Solo or Chewbacca’s footsteps, nowhere else can compete with southern Tunisia, where scenes from 5 out of the 6 films were shot. And so began my pilgrimage to the Star Wars set in Tunisia, combining two of my favourite things – films and travel.
A 10-hour train journey down the length of the country took me to the city of Tozeur, my base for the first bit of location hunting. The tourism industry in Tunisia is heavily geared towards package holidays, and other independent travellers were virtually non-existent, so I hired a local driver-guide through Tunisian Oasis Sahara Travel (TOST). However, despite the worldwide success of Star Wars, I would still advise taking as many reference photos, screen shots or GPS locations as possible, as finding some of the exact on-screen sites can be challenging.
My first stop was Ong Jemel, or “the neck of the camel”, where Darth Maul launched his probes in The Phantom Menace. Nearby, after driving through a little more desert, we came across the country’s most intact set – Mos Espa, used in the first two films, is like a small town and you can walk all around its nooks and alleyways, pretending you’re Obi-Wan Kenobi. The most surprising thing is that, although it appears quite high-tech in the films, the beauty of movie-making hides the fact that the whole set is seemingly a lot of chicken wire, plaster, wood, plastic, and bits of old lawnmowers.
Also near to the Mos Espa set are the Yardings, stone outcroppings that mark the scene where Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn have their first light sabre duel. While Mos Espa was relatively popular (many of the resorts offer tours here), once we headed off towards Nefta we were alone again, with not a single other tourist in sight. The big draw in Nefta is the exterior building of Luke Skywalker’s home, that resembles a kind of desert igloo. This was one of the highlights of the whole trip – as though a small piece of my childhood was alive right in front of me, and despite it being a tiny building with no real interior to speak of, a pang of nostalgia ran right through me.
As we drove back to Tozeur, I had a huge child-like grin on my face, and the next day the grin got even wider as we ventured towards Sidi Bouhlel, also know as “Star Wars canyon” due to the number of scenes shot there, and used in The English Patient and Raiders of the Lost Ark as well. A beautiful canyon in its own right, this was the location of R2-D2’s capture by the Jawas and his later hiding spot after Luke’s attack by the sand people, the first appearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original film, the sandcrawler parking lot, and the look-out down on to Mos Eisley, where “you’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy”.
The longer I spent in Tunisia, the more it became evident how life imitated art – not just with the film-makers borrowing names (the town of Tataouine inspiring the name of the planet Tatooine being the most obvious example), but also sounds (birds tweeting that sounded like R2-D2, or a group of Tunisian men debating something and whose voices reminded me of Watto, the junk shop dealer) and clothing (it is surely no coincidence that the brown robes of the Jedi bear a striking resemblance to the long, warm cloaks that the local Berbers wear to keep them warm in the cold desert nights).
After my time in Tozeur drew to a close, we drove off towards Matmata, the Ksour region, and eventually Djerba. I managed to visit Ksar Haddada, Ksar Ouled Soltane and Ksar Medenine (a ksar being a castle or fortified village), all used in the prequel films as Anakin’s home town, and the unusual architecture is well worth a visit even for non-Star Wars fans.
Spending the night in Matmata, famous for its underground troglodyte dwellings, there was only one place that I wanted to stay at – the Hotel Sidi Driss. Although rather run down and trading off previous glories, the chance to sleep in Luke Skywalker’s onscreen home was too much to resist, and at only about £8 for bed and breakfast there is little to lose unless you’re expecting the Four Seasons! Filming took place here twice, once in 1976 and again in 2001, and along with Mos Espa its probably the most popular place for coach tours to stop at – I was the only overnight visitor but had plenty of company within 30 minutes of getting up.
Much like Mos Espa, it’s very evocative and brought back the huge grin as I walked around a building I’d seen on screen dozens of times as a child. It proved to be a fitting end to my Star Wars pilgrimage (I was too sick to visit the remaining couple of exterior locations on Djerba), and for any fan of the series I’d urge you to go and live out your geekiest fantasies – and May The Force Be With You!
How to see Star Wars film locations in Tunisia
These two tour companies offer Star Wars Tours in Tunisia…
19 Comments
Sanjana @ Green Global Travel
5 May, 2015 at 2:54 pmLooks like a great trip for an Star Wars enthusiasts out there! Thanks for sharing!
Hannah White
19 August, 2014 at 3:36 pmGreat archaeological and fantastic sites to visit. Really informative.
Lee
3 September, 2014 at 1:23 pmThanks Hannah – maybe one day the sets will be true relics!
Emma
18 August, 2014 at 3:10 pmI have to admit I have a special fondness for Star Wars (from my childhood days) and would love to see this set. Looks so interesting and I love the cute desert houses!
Lee
3 September, 2014 at 1:24 pmThanks Emma – and yes, the nostalgia when visiting somewhere like this is really strong!
Scott
18 August, 2014 at 2:46 pmWe almost did this on our trip to Tunisia, after seeing your photos I’m kind of regretting not going!
Lee
3 September, 2014 at 1:24 pmI’m sure you’ll make it back there one day Scott!
Dale
8 August, 2014 at 1:25 pmI’m more of a Trekkie than a Star Wars fans, but of course I’ve seen the series multiple times over the years, so the chance to see these locations in person would be fantastic.
Really pleased that they’re been back there to do some shooting in close by locations for the next set of films.
Lee
10 August, 2014 at 12:14 amI agree Dale – and who knows, maybe the JJ Abrams film will encourage more people to consider the old film locations for their next holiday…
The Guy
7 August, 2014 at 1:59 pm£8 a night for bed and breakfast, that is out of this world! (Sorry, blush.)
Seriously though, this is a very interesting piece. I’ve never been to Tunisia so was unaware they used it as part of the set. I do wonder how these producers come up with the thought of these far flung locations (far from Hollywood that is).
I also didn’t realise Como had been used too. I love Lake Como!!!
Lee
10 August, 2014 at 12:11 amI wondered that too! Independent travel in Tunisia is still quite unusual, so to film there almost 40 years ago must’ve been other-worldly (which I guess is what they were aiming for!)
Jenny
6 August, 2014 at 2:32 pmWoah! that’s so very cool! I want to experience the Star Wars world. I remembered the coffee books of behind the scenes of Star Wars.
Lee
6 August, 2014 at 11:00 pmThanks Jenny – I’m sure you’ll make it there one day!
Heather
6 August, 2014 at 1:33 amI blogged not so long ago about my trip to Tozeur…I thought it was interesting, but it definitely means WAY more to a die-hard Star Wars fan!!
I think it’s really interesting how they haven’t really put effort into maintaining or publicizing it. I personally think it’s cool…it gives it an eery feeling, and it’s nice not to be hounded by hawkers with memorabilia.
That said, I hope its available to visit for many years to come.
Lee
6 August, 2014 at 10:58 pmWell said Heather – I guess it’s a case of finding the right balance. Enough tourists to make sure it’s preserved but not so many as to be over-run.
Mike
6 August, 2014 at 12:30 amLee this was an absolutely SPECTACULAR post to read for this huge, lifelong Star Wars fan!! I was smiling and getting goosebumps all intertwined on your tour of the different sets. Of course I know each and every exact thing you were describing. Where you really said it best was, “as though a small piece of my childhood was alive right in front of me.” I saw Star Wars on opening night May 25th, 1977. Thank you for this! 🙂
Lee
6 August, 2014 at 10:57 pmThanks Mike – so glad you enjoyed reading it! And I really hope you make it there yourself one day!
Sarah
5 August, 2014 at 3:31 pmWow can’t believe how these photos bring back memories of seeing Star Wars for the first time. It’s fun to see what really exits and what was constructed for the movies. You mentioned you became sick at the end of the trip. Is there something we should avoid when visiting?
Lee
6 August, 2014 at 10:54 pmIt’s certainly a very evocative place! I have a pretty weak stomach so not sure what made me sick (maybe a kind of “hot salad” dish that was a local specialty?) – I guess it happens sooner or later if you travel a lot!