Great Destinations from the Movies: Exploring Star Wars Scenes in TunisiaCategory: Travel & Holidays
Article added by: Paul Collins
Whichever way you look at it, Tunisia’s not exactly short of things to do. But whether it’s German travelers on their Tunesien-Reise, Spanish tourists on viajes Tunez or English holidaymakers setting off on a Tunisia trip, one thing is becoming increasingly popular: Star Wars tourism.
In the beginning…
When George Lucas was looking for a setting for Star Wars back in 1976, he didn’t have to look much further than Tunisia. Right across the country there are any number of unusual subterranean dwellings and dramatically stark landscapes that were tailor-made for the shooting of what would later turn out to be the biggest science fiction franchise of all time.
One of the first ports of call is Chott El-Jerid, out to the west of the country on the edge of the Grand Erg Desert. A harsh and unforgiving landscape of mile after mile of sun-baked salt flats, it was the setting for Lars’ Homestead in some of the early scenes from the movie.
One particularly memorable use of the landscape in the film is of an iconic shot of Luke Skywalker staring out across the plains at two setting suns. Twenty-odd years later, Lucas returned to Chott El-Jerid to reconstruct the set for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Sea of Sand
From Chott El-Jerid, the next port of call for any Star Wars fan on a Tunisia trip is the immensity of La Grand Dune. A vast sea of sand stretching away in every direction as far as the eye can see, it featured in another early scene from Star Wars as the place where the two droids crash-landed.
Down to the south of La Grand Dune is perhaps the most memorable of all Star Wars locations in Tunisia: Matmata. Here the famous ‘troglodyte dwellings’ were the setting for the interiors of Luke Skywalker’s home (Lars’ homestead), and make for fascinating visiting. But it gets much better than that, for you can actually stay at one of the sets in the form of the Hotel Sidi Driss!
Out to Djerba
Moving away from the barren landscapes of the east of Tunisia, another mecca for Star Wars fans in Tunisia is the dreamy holiday island of Djerba. Here, in the town of Ajim (a little to the south of Houmt Souk) can be found the building featured in the Mos Eisley canteen scene. Elsewhere on Djerba, Sidi Jemour – which appears in the film in the scene where Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker enter Mos Eisley – is another important destination.
Ultimately, however, these are really just a couple of the locations that were featured in the Stars Wars series, and there are many others to be explored. The best thing of all, though, is you don’t have to travel to "a galaxy far, far away” to enjoy it – it’s only a couple of hours’ flight from most major European airports!
Posted By: Paul Collins
Contact: e-mail
| About the Author: |
| As a huge fan of Tunisia, travel writer Paul Collins sets off on frequent viajes Tunez (or Tunisia trips) from Spain to make the most of some attractive deals. Then, after a great break, he’s tended to hop on vuelos Madrid Londres (or flights from Madrid to London) to get back to his home in Birmingham. |
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