# Star Wars filming locations in Tunisia: Tozeur, Matmata, Djerba and the ksour

The scenes set on Tatooine, the desert planet of Star Wars, were filmed in southern Tunisia, in 1976 for the first film and in 1997 for The Phantom Menace. You can visit the Mos Espa set and the Ong Jmel rock near Nefta, the Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, the Ajim cantina on Djerba and Ksar Hadada. The Lars homestead on the chott and Ksar Ouled Soltane lie in the area several European foreign ministries advise against.

Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/guides/star-wars-tunisie/

The planet Tatooine, where Luke Skywalker grew up, was born in southern Tunisia. George Lucas filmed the desert scenes of the first *Star Wars*, Episode IV, there in 1976, and returned in 1997 for *The Phantom Menace*, Episode I, released in 1999. Some of the sets are still there: the town of **Mos Espa** in the dunes near **Nefta**, the troglodyte house in **Matmata**, the cantina in **Ajim** on **Djerba**, and the ksour of **Medenine** and **Ksar Hadada**. They fall into two areas: the Jerid around Tozeur in the west, and Djerba and the ksour in the east.

## The filming locations at a glance

| Location | Film | What you see | Area advised against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mos Espa, near Ong Jmel (Nefta) | Episode I | the town set, still standing in the dunes | outside the zone |
| Ong Jmel (Nefta) | Episode I | the "camel's neck" rock and dunes | outside the zone |
| Lars homestead, Chott el Djerid | Episode IV | exterior of the Lars family farm | south of the line, advised against by several ministries |
| Hotel Sidi Driss (Matmata) | Episodes IV and II | interior of the Lars home, in a troglodyte hotel | outside the zone |
| Ajim (Djerba) | Episode IV | exterior of the Mos Eisley cantina | outside the zone |
| Ksar Hadada (Ghomrassen) | Episode I | Mos Espa quarters, in a ksar partly turned into a hotel | outside the zone |
| Medenine and Metameur | Episode I | ghorfas of the ksour | outside the zone |
| Ksar Ouled Soltane (Tataouine) | filming disputed | fortified granary with 287 ghorfas | south of the line, advised against by several ministries |

Several European foreign ministries advise against everything south of a line running from the Algerian border through Tozeur, Douz and Tataouine to Zarzis. The other filming locations lie north of this line. Your country's advice:

(Depends on the traveller's country: see the table on https://sabaro-travel.com/en/guides/star-wars-tunisie/)

Our guide to [safety in Tunisia](/en/guides/securite-tunisie/) gives the details for the whole country.

## Around Tozeur: Mos Espa and Ong Jmel

**Mos Espa**, the Tatooine town of Episode I, was built in the dunes north-west of Nefta, close to Ong Jmel. The set is still standing. A crescent-shaped dune, a barchan, is moving across the site at about 15 m a year, according to research reported by phys.org in 2014, and the sand is slowly reaching the facades.

Nearby, **Ong Jmel**, the rock shaped like a "camel's neck", served as a set for *Star Wars* and *The English Patient*. Admission has been charged since 2018, and restoration work worth TND 132,000, about €39,000, is under way, according to La Presse de Tunisie. It lies outside the areas advised against, 12 to 15 km north of the line.

The **Lars homestead**, where Luke lives with his uncle and aunt, was filmed on Chott el Djerid, the great salt flat, near Nefta. This set lies 3 to 6 km south of the line, in the area several European foreign ministries advise against.

A 4x4 tour from Tozeur covers the Nefta dunes, the chott, Mos Espa and Ong Jmel in 4 hours, with hotel pick-up and a driver, from about €80 per person. To stay nearby, [The Mora Sahara Tozeur](/en/hotels/the-mora-sahara-tozeur/), on the edge of the desert facing the chott, and [Dar HI Life](/en/hotels/dar-hi-life-nefta/) in Nefta are the closest to the sets among the hotels chosen by Sabaro. The area is covered on our [Tozeur and Nefta](/en/tunisia/tozeur-nefta/) page.

## Matmata: the Lars home

**Matmata** is a Berber village 600 m up, 40 km south-west of Gabès, known for its troglodyte houses dug around circular courtyards. The **Hotel Sidi Driss**, one of these houses turned into a hotel, was the interior of the Lars home in 1976 and was used again for *Attack of the Clones*, Episode II, released in 2002. Parts of the set can still be seen.

From Djerba, Matmata is reached via the Ajim ferry and Gabès: Houmt Souk is 111 km from Gabès, about 2 hours 15 by road.

## Djerba: the Ajim cantina

**Ajim**, the port in south-west Djerba where the ferry leaves for the mainland, stood in for Mos Eisley, the spaceport town of Episode IV, in April 1976. According to the Routard guide, the building used for the cantina exterior is a former bakery, now abandoned, in the centre of Ajim, and a fisherman's house about 3 km to the north played Obi-Wan Kenobi's home. Both are freely accessible. Djerba, its beaches and its hotels are covered on our [Djerba](/en/tunisia/djerba/) page.

## The ksour of Medenine and Tataouine

A ksar (plural ksour) is a fortified Berber granary made of vaulted cells, the ghorfas, stacked around a courtyard.

- **Ksar Hadada**, 5 km from Ghomrassen and about twenty kilometres from Tataouine, has been partly converted into a hotel. George Lucas filmed Episode I scenes here in 1997, for the Mos Espa quarters.
- **Medenine and Metameur**: Episode I scenes were filmed in the ksour of Medenine, which had up to 6,000 ghorfas in the early 20th century, partly demolished since.
- **Ksar Ouled Soltane**, 17 km south-east of Tataouine, is often cited as a filming location; the Routard disputes it. This ksar of 287 ghorfas on three to four levels lies 17 km south of the line, in the area advised against.

The "Tataouine and Chenini" excursions sold from Djerba go through Chenini and Ksar Ouled Soltane, two sites several European foreign ministries advise against.

## When to go

Southern Tunisia is pleasant from October to April. In July, average highs reach 40 °C in Tozeur; in January they are 17 °C, with nights around 7 °C. For a night on the edge of the desert, see our guide to [a night at the gateway to the Sahara](/en/guides/nuit-dans-le-desert-tunisie/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Where was Star Wars filmed in Tunisia?

In the south: at Mos Espa and Ong Jmel near Nefta, on Chott el Djerid, at the Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, in Ajim on the island of Djerba, and in the ksour of Medenine and Ksar Hadada.

### Does the Mos Espa set still exist?

Yes, it still stands in the dunes north-west of Nefta, but a dune is advancing across the site at about 15 m a year.

### Can you visit Luke Skywalker's home?

Yes: the Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, used as the interior of the Lars home, can be visited, and parts of the set are still there. The exterior of the farm, on Chott el Djerid, is in the area several European foreign ministries advise against.

### How much is a tour of the sets from Tozeur?

From about €80 per person for 4 hours by 4x4, with hotel pick-up.

### Are the Star Wars sets in an area advised against?

Most are not: Mos Espa, Ong Jmel, Matmata, Ajim, Ksar Hadada and Medenine are outside the areas advised against. The Lars homestead on the chott and Ksar Ouled Soltane lie south of the Tozeur - Douz - Tataouine line, beyond which several European foreign ministries advise against travel.