Journey through the Sahara in Star Wars or where they filmed the planet Tatooine. How I ended up on the planet Tatooine - the one from Star Wars - Sergey Barkov

In the Star Wars universe, Tatooine is an arid planet on the outer rim. Tatooine was the birthplace of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, as well as Jabba the Hutt.

Planet Tatooine Star Wars

Tatooine is an arid planet, thanks to its twin suns Tatoo I and Tatoo II and is mostly inhabited by moisture farmers who are not native to the planet itself. It is commonly known for being a planet led by its own inhabitants, although it was once under the control of the Sith. However, for many years up until the time of Luke Skywalker it was controlled by the Hutts, the last of which was Jabba the Hutt.

List of those who were on Tatooine and events regarding their life on Tatooine:

Boba Fett: One day, Boba Fett came to Tatooine, performing his duties as a bounty hunter, and so he remained in Jabba the Hutt's court for some time, never removing his Mandalorian armor. So it was that when Luke came to Chewbacca, Leia and Han's rescue, he ran into the greatest bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. Yet, surprisingly, Boba Fett was defeated by accident by Han Solo, who was blinded. So he ended up in the Carkoon Pit, where he is caught by the Sarlacc. He eventually manages to escape, and regain his title of the universe's greatest bounty hunter.

C-3PO: The droid known as C-3PO was originally created by a young child named Anakin Skywalker on the planet Tatooine. However, at that point in his "life" he was still "naked" as he had no plating and yet he was functioning to his full capacity. But C-3PO was not left on Tatooine when Anakin departed for Shiny. Rather, he left the planet, and over the years was upgraded in appearance to the Droid he is now. But many years and a memory wiped later, C-3PO returned to Tatooine. This time it was with his new owner, Leia Organa (Skywalker), neither of them aware of his own past. He went on a field trip with R2-D2 and completed tasks for Luke Skywalker, going through many trials and tribulations. But he eventually left the desert planet Tatooine once more to resume his work as a translator droid, as the adventure simply wasn't for him.

Chewbacca: Chewbacca went to Tatooine as part of a plan to save Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. Chewbacca was needed so that it could appear that Leia was a bounty hunter and brought him in for money. So he was temporarily housed in Jabba's prison cells, an experience he didn't enjoy. But in the end, Han Solo was rescued and Chevy left the planet completely intact and unharmed.

Darth Maul: It is in the deserts of Tatooine that Jedi and Sith have their first encounter in years. Darth Maul representing the power of the Sith against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi representing the weakness of the Jedi. Though the fight was short, it was the Sith finally emerging from the shadows and revealing themselves. Darth Maul proved to be much more proficient in combat than any of the Jedi and would most likely defeat them had they not left in their spaceship during the confrontation. However, the next time they would meet, the Jedi would no longer be taken by surprise, resulting in Maul's downfall.

Darth Vader: Anakin Skywalker was born and raised on the planet Tatooine as a slave. It was his mother Shmi Skywalker who took care of him and often worried about his joy of pod racing. It was on Tatooine that he created the droid that would become C-3PO, but his dreams came true when a certain Jedi arrived on the planet and discovered that his potential was wielding the Force. So, he was won from his owner, Watto by two Jedi at 9 years of age and not long afterwards became Obi-Wan Kenobi's Padawan. He late returns to the planet on his own when he has visions of his mother's death, but he arrives too late to save her from the Tusken Raiders. In his grief and anger, he lashed out, mercilessly slaughtering the entire Tuskan camp, leaving no survivors, and so begins his journey into the Dark Side of the Force.

Han Solo: Han Solo arrives in Tatooine after Jabba raises a bounty for him and Boba Fett is looking for a reward. Han Solo is frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader and then provided to Jabba Fett. Han Solo is left to decorate Jabba's Palace as a trophy until Leia frees him of the carbonite, though he remains blind for several hours. So it's that he barely gets to possess Tatooine and when he should be feeding on Sarlacc instead, he accidentally defeats Boba Fett. He is then rescued from the desert planet, his sight fully restored and his debt to Jabba off his back.

Jabba the Hutt: Jabba the Hutt is in a sense the ruler of Tatooine, seeing as it is on the Outer Rim and out of Republic control. He is a powerful crime lord and known for providing both smugglers and bounty hunters a job. It was because of his imprisonment of Han Solo that Luke, R2, C-3PO, Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca all risked their lives to infiltrate Jabba's Palace. However, Jabba proved to be too powerful for Luke to use the Force and Leia's disguise. Thus, he made Leia his sex slave for her punishment and denied Luke his request for Han's freedom. This eventually led to a confrontation that led to his death when Leia strangled him with the chain that had once bound her to a slug.

Can of Binks: Can of Binks comes to Naboo as hot on the heels of the Queen's Court, he soon turns out to just be able to get into trouble and so it's decided that close eyes keep on him. Whether he matures either in his short stay on Tatooine is not known, however it is known that for at least short periods he did learn the error of his ways.

Lando Calrissian: Lando Calrissian, another criminal much like Han Solo was, arrived on Tatooine when Solo was to be rescued from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. He infiltrated Jabba's Palace while wearing the guise of a mercenary. Ultimately, he also helped save Han Solo and escape from Tatooine.

Luke Skywalker: Despite being born elsewhere, shortly after his birth, Luke was brought to his father's home planet to guard him and kept hidden. He was left with his father's relatives (Owen Lars) and watched over during his maturing years by Obi-Wan Kenobi. So Luke lived the life of a moisture farmer for many years, all he was told about his origins was that his father Anakin was killed by Darth Vader. Ultimately, however, things began to move forward quickly for young man, and he learned the truth of "Ben" Kenobi and was given a lightsaber after discovering his power potential. So it was that Luke then left Tatooine, and how his father began a life very different from the one he had. A life that anyone who settled on Tatooine could never have imagined.

Padmé Amidala: Padmé Amidala first came to Tatooine unintentionally when she was advised to leave Naboo, the planet she ruled, because it was being conquered by the Trade Federation. She was only fourteen years old at the time, and the ship she and her crew needed to land, their only choice was Tatooine, where they could hopefully repair their ship and continue their journey to the Brilliant. Once there, she meets a young nine-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker, who appears to be the only worker in the store, who is being sought by the two Jedi accompanying her. Anakin reveals himself to be very knowledgeable about the courts and a boy with many dreams, one of which is that he will marry the beautiful angel in front of him, Padme. At points, she seems to doubt that Anakin is staying on Tatooine during her time, and freaks out when all the money the Jedi possesses is bet on Anakin winning the pod race, something he has never done before. Yet he succeeds and the two leave Tatooine together, unsurprisingly he does become her lover, her secret husband and the father of her children (Luke and Leia).

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Obi-Wan first comes to Tatooine when he was Qui-Gon Jin's Padawan and there he meets Anakin. He almost seems jealous of the boy, as Qui-Gon pays far more attention to him than to Obi-Wan. Yet it is many years after he trained Anakin and nearly killed him that he brings his son Luke Skywalker to Tatooine and settles on the planet. He watches over Luke in secret for many years, keeping all the knowledge he had of Anakin and the time before the Empire. Obi-Wan eventually takes Luke under his wing while on Tatooine, gives him a lightsaber and teaches him some of the Force and his father. The two then depart to rescue Princess Leia, however, Obi-Wan is killed by Darth Vader before he ever gets a chance to return to Tatooine.

Princess Leia: Princess Leia travels to Tatooine (unaware that this is her birth planet) in her efforts to rescue her lover, Han Solo. She brings in Chewbacca for a bounty to make her disguise as a bounty hunter more convincing. However, when she frees Khan from his carbonite in the dead of night, she is caught by Jabba and his court. As punishment for her actions, she is made Jabba's sex slave and so stripped down to next to nothing and chained to Jabba. She is forced to follow his instructions, but when Luke launches an attack on Jabba's trial, she proves her ferocity when she strangles Jabba with the chain that held them together. She then proceeds to be rescued by Luke throughout the next battle, and she eventually leaves Tatooine, only to learn of his importance to her family later.

Qui-Gon Jinn: When Qui-Gon Jinn is made leader of the Queen's Court that flees Naboo, he convinces the group that they must land on Tatooine to repair the ship, and with some talk the Queen agrees. It is here that Qui-Gon meets the boy he has been looking for for years, Anakin, the one he believes will fulfill the Prophecy. He plans to educate the boy, although his Padawan Obi-Wan thinks he is imprudent, and yet Qui-Gon puts his full faith in the boy. And when parts are needed, it's him who agrees to have Anakin win the pod race so they can buy parts for their ship, but that's only if his mother allows him. As a reward, he makes a deal with Watto (cheating on his part) to free Anakin when he wins the races. Thus, Qui-Gon leaves a planet that has experienced some significant events including the Sith Apprentice's struggle and the acquisition of a would-be Jedi.

R2-D2: R2-D2 first arrives in Tatooine along with his "master" Padmé Amidala, and it is there that he meets two of his greatest future companions, Anakin Skywalker and K-3PO. R2 returns to Tatooine many years later with a demented C-3PO when he goes there in his effort to find help for Princess Leia. Unfortunately, he is captured by Jawas and sold to the Lars family. Owen Lars places a mischievous droid in Luke Skywalker's care, but R2 sees the boy as being of no help to his mission and instead seeks out "Ben" Kenobi. Luke is forced to chase after R2 and so they both meet up with "Ben" resulting in Luke learning a bit of his heritage. So it's that R2 then leaves Tatooine again only to return a third time when Han Solo needs to be rescued. R2-D2 plays an important role in saving the smuggler and proves how valuable he really is.

Sebulba: Sebulba is a foreign resident of Tatooine who has lived their entire life. He is known to be one of the planet's dishonest, humble lifestyles and is considered one of its greatest pod racers even though he cheats to win. Because of this, he is also young Anakin's rival and almost ends up being the reason for Padmé and the Jedi trapped on Tatooine as their escape depended on Anakin's victory. Yet Anakin ultimately succeeded in the race, winning his first match and defeating Sebulba once and for all.

Shmi Skywalker: Shmi Skywalker is known to have been Watto's slave for many years, yet much of her past before the arrival of Padmé Amidala and her crew on Tatooine is unknown. She was very protective of her son, Anakin, and always wanted the best for him. She often worried about him as his hobbies were not things she felt a normal boy should do, like pod racing. Yet when Qui-Gon Jinn gave Anakin a chance at a better life She gave her consent for him to leave her on Tatooine as a slave while he could live out his dreams. She was eventually freed from being a slave, but it wasn't long afterwards that she was captured by the Tusken Raiders, whose torture ended up killing her. She died on the planet Tatooine in the arms of her son, who returned for her a little too late.

Watto: Watto is a foreigner who has achieved very little in his life other than becoming lazier and gaining weight. He was drooling over both Shmi Skywalker and Anakin up to the point that Padmé and the Jedi came to Tatooine and won Anakin off of him. Watto kept Shmi as his slave for some time after this, but he eventually became disillusioned with her and lost her to the Lars family. When Anakin returned to save his mother, he looked into this and also found out that Watto had become overweight since the last time they saw each other.

Interesting places on Tatooine:

• Mos Eisley
• Mos Espa
• Jundland Waste
• dune sea
• Lars Humidity Family FarmTemple B'Omarr
• Big Carkoon Pit
• Toshi Station
• Beggar Canyon

Sentient varieties of Tatooine:

• Jawas
• Tusken Raiders

Types of animals:

• Bantha
• Sarlacc
• Wamprat
• Ronto
• Dragon Krayt
• Dewback
• Massiff

Notable residents of Tatooine:

• Luke Skywalker
• Anakin Skywalker
• Shmi Skywalker
• Owen Lars
• Beru Lars
• Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Jabba the Hutt
• Biggs Darklighter
• Watto
• Sebulba
• Bib Fortuna
• Sharad Hett
• Darth Crate
• Greedo

It is here in Sahara, north of Nefta, in 1976 George Lucas shot the first shots of the film "Star Wars", having created the world of the desert planet Tatooine, named after a nearby city in Tunisia. In this inhospitable world, a significant part of the events of the first, second, fourth and sixth episodes of the epic film take place. On Tatooine, in the scenery of the Mos Espa spaceport, the Jedi meet 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader.

A few frames from the movie:

Set designers spent 2 months erecting the houses of Mos Espa, and in the midst of filming, an unexpected sandstorm destroyed most buildings. In order not to get out of the schedule, they filmed against the backdrop of the surviving scenery and repaired the destroyed ones. But since then, the storms seem to have subsided, and alien city well preserved until today, to the delight of tourists.

There are about two dozen buildings here, some of them are only facades. And it didn’t take much to invent - the houses with small domes were copied from the Berber dwellings and blended very organically into the surrounding landscape.

The desert is gradually advancing on the alien city, threatening to swallow it. scientists did satellite imagery scenery in different years and set the speed of movement of the nearest dune - 15 m per year, the sands have already swallowed up some buildings. Soon Mos Espa will be completely hidden under the sand, but in a few years it will again appear on the surface - the dune will continue its movement.

You can get here by off-road jeeps. Although, no, this is not off-road, this is the route along which the Paris-Dakar rally took place. In 1977, the French driver Thierry Sabin, amazed by the fantastic scenery of the desert, decided that this place was perfect for a new rally, where every rider could demonstrate his abilities.

Thierry Sabin became the founder and organizer of the Paris-Dakar rally. Several times the rally passed through Tunisia. But the international situation was not favorable, there were threats of terrorist attacks, once the rally was even stopped and since 2009 it has moved to South America. What Tunisians now bitterly regret.

Now, tourists are taken in jeeps along the former highway to the desert, they arrange fun races, take off on the dunes, demonstrate the Mos Espa spaceport and the incredible beauty of alien landscapes.

And we go to the mountain oasis of Shebika.

To be continued...

[:RU]Tunisian city of Degesh ( degache) became our starting point for our journey to the filming location of the legendary Star Wars by George Lucas. Here we had to transfer from comfortable buses to no less comfortable all-wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps and go on an unforgettable jeep safari across the Sahara.

Degesh is a small town of seven thousand in the traditional North African style. Nondescript squat sandstone houses, very dusty half-empty streets and extremely sparse vegetation. There is absolutely nothing to photograph here, so I will immediately move on to the story of the jeep safari.

The first part of the Tunisian safari is a high-speed race in closed jeeps along a section of the route of the famous Dakar transcontinental rally marathon.

Rushing through the rocky part of the Sahara - the most majestic desert on Earth at a speed of 120-140 km / h, you involuntarily feel like the smallest grain of sand in the world, where besides you there is only an infinity of the horizon, sand and a fearless jeep driver, to whom we entrusted our lives. Extreme overtaking neighboring cars and sharp turns at high speed are sometimes really scary.

In addition, it happens that the jeep is not weakly shaking on the unevenness of the track and you have to hold on to everything that is possible. In some places, the car does not drive along a track that has been rolled over by time, but along a road that exists exclusively in the driver’s head. Distances between jeeps can reach up to a kilometer, while the driver does not use any map or navigator.

The second part of the safari is no less extreme than the first. The relatively flat surface of the desert has ended… All sorts of hills, bumps, pits, sand dunes, etc. have begun.

Without slowing down, the jeep flies up a huge hill and makes a sharp turn. The angle of inclination of the car is already close to critical, but the jeep still maintains balance. Adrenaline levels skyrocket...

From the city of Degesh, we have already moved 30 kilometers deep into the desert. Suddenly, a huge sand dune appeared in front of us. The thought arises in my head that you can either fly over it by helicopter, or try to go around it. However, the driver has his own opinion on this matter ... The jeep accelerates, and we take off at 45 degrees to sand dune. It is impossible to overcome the obstacle the first time, the car gets stuck in the sand and skids. It is not possible to force the barrier even from the second, third, fourth, fifth time ... On the sixth or seventh time, we, finally, slowly but surely, still climb to the top of the dune.

Opens from the dune beautiful panorama to desert landscapes and the main purpose of our trip - the scenery for the movie "Star Wars". A minute balancing on the crest of a dune, a shift in the center of gravity ... and now the car is almost vertically rushing down, to the screams of passengers in the cabin.

Welcome to the planet Tatooine! Previously, I could never believe that I could visit the places where my favorite heroes of the famous fantasy saga went. Let today it’s just cinematic scenery and crowds of tourists, but the feeling of unity with the place and the characters of the film is indescribable and amazing! Let me tell you how it all started...

A long time ago, in the summer of 1976, a delegation of 130 filmmakers arrived in Tunisia, headed by director George Lucas ( George Lucas). It was this North African country, with its cosmic landscapes, that was the best suited for filming the desert planet Tatooine, where Anakin Skywalker was born ( Anakin Skywalker) - the future Darth Vader ( Darth Vader). His son Luke also grew up here.

The planet was named after the real-life city in Tunisia - Phoom-Tataouin ( Foum Tataouine), which the Tunisians call none other than Tatooine. The town is famous for its ksars - fortified clay Berber granaries). The most famous of which are Ksar Ouled Sultan ( Ksar Ouled Soltane) and Ksar Hadada ( Ksar Hadada). It was Ksar Hadada that became a city block hometown Anakin - Mos Espy ( Mos Espa) in certain episodes of Star Wars. Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The shooting of the film went on as usual, until the moment when a crowd of people, incomprehensible equipment and robots near the Libyan border caused concern to the authorities. neighboring country. The film crew of Lucas was asked to urgently move away from the border deep into Tunisia ...

Unfortunately, we did not get to Tatooine, and therefore we will return to the scenery of Mos Eisley ( Mos Eisley) in a desert.

They are located 15 kilometers from the Algerian border, on the outskirts of the salt marsh Chott el Garsa ( Chott el Gharsa), in the desert between the settlements of Neft ( Naftah) and Degesh ( degache), from where we left in jeeps.

The town was built of clay and sand in a short period of 2 months. It's been 36 years and the buildings look like new thanks to the hot climate and lack of rainfall.

To get pictures of the scenery without tourists in the frame, I had to stand in one place for up to 15 minutes, waiting for the right moment. The presence of tourists inevitably attracts traders with all sorts of small trinkets (stone roses, bracelets, beads), where they come from neighboring settlements on motorcycles. It is sad that there is not a single memento to be found here that would have anything to do with the Star Wars universe. The sale of souvenirs of a similar theme is a goldmine for Tunisia, but, apparently, neither the Tunisian authorities nor the corporation are interested in it. Lucasfilm. In addition, the distance of this place from residential settlements incurs certain costs for protection and maintenance.

Some traders offer a well-known in Tunisia, a scam for tourists - to take a picture with a desert fox - Fenok. And the price seems not expensive - only 1 dinar. Everything would be fine, but when the tourist who paid was photographed, he, unexpectedly for himself, finds out what was meant by “1 dinar to each of the crowd” ... It is useless to argue ... Be careful.

By the way, I recommend everyone who wants to visit this place to visit Tunisia in the coming years, as soon this town may disappear forever. The fact is that, every year, a large sand dune is getting closer and closer to the scenery ... At present, it has already crept close to the walls of the outermost buildings. If some measures are not taken, it may happen that in a few years the scenery will be buried under tons of sand ...

Not far from this place, on the neighboring dune, there is another memorable point - the battle site of the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn ( Qui-Gon Jinn) and the Sith Lord Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The famous cart races from the first episode were filmed nearby.

If we talk about the remaining Star Wars filming locations in Tunisia, then the following objects can be distinguished on the list:

Canyon Sidi Buhlel ( Star Wars Canyon), 91 kilometers long, located east of the city of Degesh, in the mountainous part of Tunisia (mountains Jbel Bou Helal).

Most of Tatooine's landscape scenes were filmed here (episode IV of the saga), as well as the mining sandcrawler, a giant caterpillar machine in which the Jawas traveled the sands of Tatooine in search of lost droids. Here, the Jawas attacked Luke and the robots R2-D2 and C-3PO.

The next location is Luke's house, currently known as the Sidi Driss Inn ( Hotel Sidi Driss) in the Berber town of Matmata ( matmata). This town is known for its underground dwellings dug into solid ground. The hotel still retains the space environment of 36 years ago. To stop here is a real happiness for a Star Wars fan.

We visited Matmata and, of course, visited one of the Berber underground dwellings, though not the Sidi Driss hotel, but still ... A separate photo report will be released about this city later.

To the west of the oasis city of Nefta, there is another Star Wars attraction - standing in the middle of the desert, a lonely farmhouse of the Lars. You can visit it by taking a local "taxi" in Neft or by renting a car.

The most remote location for filming Star Wars was the Tunisian island of Djerba, on which the house of the old Obi-Wan Kenobi is located, and some of the houses served as scenery for the large tattoo city of Anchorhead.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released on May 25, 1977 and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace on May 19, 1999. The space saga consists of 6 episodes and the 7th part is currently being filmed.

Actor Mark Richard Hamill Mark Richard Hamill), better known as Luke Skywalker, once said: I didn't even have to imagine that I was on Tatooine. I really WAS on Tatooine". Well, I will join his words and I.

Tatooine is also informally called the exoplanet HD 188753 Ab in the HD 188753 system.

Location

Outer Territories, Arcanis Sector. The distance from the center of the Galaxy is 43,000 light years. A desert planet orbiting a binary star located in the outer territories far from the main galactic routes. But the planet is a good place for smugglers and gangsters of all stripes. The yellow stars around which Tatooine revolves are called Tatu I and Tatu II. The planet has 3 satellites. For centuries, Tatooine has been the site of orbital showdowns by various bandit groups, so that the surface of the planet is literally littered with the wreckage of ancient spaceships buried under the sands of the deserts. Officially, Tatooine was colonized several centuries ago, on the planet, in addition to colonists of different races and nationalities, there are also natives: the fussy and annoying Jawa people, and aggressive nomads Tuskens. Animal life is extremely diverse. The form of government is complete anarchy, only the king of the underworld, a representative of the Hutt race Jabba Hutt, has some power, but in fact Tatooine is completely independent of the Republic. and later - the Empire. There are 3 cities on the surface, as well as a huge number of farms for the extraction of moisture and the cultivation of fruits, which are called deb-deb and pica. Tatooine is the homeworld of Anakin Skywalker, the future Sith Lord Darth Vader, and home to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker's teacher. Tatooine rotates around its axis in 23 standard hours, and around the sun in 304 local days. From time to time, strong sandstorms arise on the surface of the planet, forcing all inhabitants to hide in their shelters and homes. The planet also attracts a large number of racing fans who come to watch exciting swoop races.

Story

The planet got its name "Tatooine" from the consonant name of the Jawas (one local people) - "Tah doo Een e". Tatooine is a desert planet orbiting the Outer Rim binary star near the worlds of Ryloth and Pyroket, approximately 43,000 light-years from the galactic core. Tatooine - very old world, which occupies a strategic location at the intersection of several hyperspace routes, but is far from the center of the galaxy and the Galactic Republic. However, it occupies a good place for smugglers and gangsters of all stripes. As a result, Tatooine was the site of an orbital showdown of various bandit groups, so that the surface of the planet is literally littered with the wreckage of ancient spaceships buried under the sands of the desert. The yellow stars that make up the system are called Tattoo 1 and Tattoo 2, respectively. The planet has three satellites.

So distant in the past that neither living nor electronic memory knows when it happened, Tatooine belonged to the Rakata Empire. Once upon a time there were big oceans and the world of the jungle, but as a result of the orbital bombardment of the rakat, the biosphere was destroyed. According to scientists, it was then, after global climate change, that the only intelligent species on the planet was divided into two subspecies - annoying, fussy Jawas and furious Tusken nomads, usually called sand people. The Sand People are a race of nomadic warrior tribes that reject any attempt at trade (and even simple communication) and are hostile to all outsiders. Jawas, on the other hand, are diminutive scavengers more interested in trade than combat. Their language is terribly difficult to understand, and their culture remains a mystery.

The world-famous saga of George Lucas "Star Wars" was filmed in various places in Tunisia. The Martian desert landscapes of this country became the perfect backdrop for the fantastic plot of the film. Even the distant planet Tatooine from the legendary film epic was named after small town in the south of Tunisia. A troglodyte village matmata perfect for filming a range of scenes. Here, in home Luke Skywalker, you can even stay overnight at the Sidi Driss Inn.

Hotel Sidi Driss where many scenes from Star Wars were filmed

At the Sidi Driss Hotel, Matmata, Tunisia

The Sidi Driss Hotel served as the backdrop for the famous Star Wars movie epic.

The village of Matmata got its name from the Berber tribe of the same name that inhabited the local area. Traditionally, the inhabitants of these places equipped their homes in man-made caves in order thus to be saved from the withering heat of the desert. First, a huge hole was dug, 8-13 meters in diameter and about 7-10 meters deep. Then along the perimeter of this pit, resembling a crater, living quarters, pantries, and kitchens were pulled out in the ground. A well was often dug in the center of the pit. It was possible to get into such a “house” from above only by going down the stairs - hollowed out in the ground or rope.

Underground dwelling in Matmata, Tunisia

From above, the troglodyte village looks like a cratered lunar landscape.

In 1967, heavy showers that lasted about 2 weeks (extremely rare natural phenomenon in the Sahara desert!), led to flooding and damage a large number cave houses. Local authorities organized assistance to the affected residents and hastily built ordinary ground houses for them near the affected underground village. However, many families still prefer traditional cave dwellings modern. The reason for this is obvious - in the dungeons, the temperature remains approximately the same level in both heat and cold. But modern buildings do not save their inhabitants so well from the scorching heat of the desert during the day and the piercing cold at night.

Interior of a dugout house of Tunisian Berbers

Kitchen in the troglodyte house

With the growth of tourism, many troglodyte houses have opened up to the public, thus bringing additional income to their owners. And one of them even transformed into the Sidi Driss hotel - unique place for those who crave new experiences.

The Sidi Driss hotel became famous throughout the world as Lars' farm in episodes 1 and 4 of the Star Wars movie saga.

Spartan Cave Hotel Room Interior

Sidi Driss cave hotel bar

Dining at Sidi Driss Hotel

Star Wars fans will be especially delighted with this place, in the Sidi Driss hotel everything reminds of the filming that came here. Everywhere you can find parts of the abandoned entourage and scenery Farms Lars where Luke Skywalker spent his childhood. The interiors are easily recognizable to fans of the legendary film.

The views of the hotel are easily recognizable in the frames from the Star Wars movie

As one example, the place of feasts of the family of a brave Jedi, through the passage from the dining room you can get to the kitchen of Aunt Beru:

A still from the movie Star Wars saga - a scene of a family feast in the dining room of the Lars farm

The interior of the dining room of the Lars family remained unchanged after filming took place here.

The wall painting on the ceiling of the dining room was restored in 1995 by the French artist Philippe Vanni, an ardent fan of the epic film.

Ceiling painting in the dining room, perfectly restored by one of the film's enthusiasts

According to the plot of the film, the planet Tatooine suffered from the withering heat. On the Lars farm, moisture was extracted so valuable in these places. All the premises of the farm were located underground. There were living and utility rooms, security terminals, sensors, capacitors, a garage with fantastic vehicles future. IN different places farms were placed moisture traps.

Moisture farm of the Lars family from Star Wars

Lars Farm Plan - in modern time Hotel Sidi Driss

The Sidi Driss Hotel in Matmata served as the setting for two parts of the film epic - Episode IV "A New Hope" in 1977 and Episode II "Attack of the Clones" in 2000. At the suggestion of the director of the film, George Lucas, the desert lands of the Sahara turned into fantasy world distant galaxies. Who would have thought back in 1977 that the first film would have such a dizzying success, and the south of Tunisia would become a real place of pilgrimage for fans of this space saga! Today, in the places where they filmed "Star Wars", organized tourist excursions. A locals sell souvenirs to visitors and offer to be photographed in raincoats and with Jedi swords.

The unusual architecture of the Berber granaries-ksars, as conceived by the director of the film, became the perfect backdrop for the slave quarter

The mesmerizing views of Tunisia look no less mysterious even with one sun - a frame from the movie "Star Wars" and modern photo from the shooting location

In addition to Star Wars, other films were filmed in the desert spaces of Tunisia, among the most famous: Gladiator, The Adventures of Indiana Jones, The English Patient. Mysterious landscapes southern Tunisia never cease to attract the attention of directors. It is hard to imagine that this surreal place, which rather resembles the landscapes of distant and unknown galaxies, is quite real and is part of our amazing and diverse planet Earth.

The desert landscapes of Tatooine, with the scenery left behind from the filming of the film, make the image of distant planets so real and tangible.

Photo credits: www.hotel-sidi-driss.com, www.voyage-insolite.com, www.thankyouforbeingsophisticated.com, commons.wikimedia.org, fiveadventurers.com, perspectivesbyairfrance.com, thisisafrica.me, www.pbase.com , www.flickr.com, www.shutterstock.com.

The cost of staying at the hotel

Cave hotel Sidi Driss has only 20 rooms. All rooms are very simple, with a minimum of amenities and ascetic interiors. The hotel also has communal showers and toilets, a restaurant, a bar and even internet wi-fi. There are no ATMs in the vicinity, the nearest town of Gabes is 40 km away.

Accommodation with breakfast will cost about 15 € per person per day, with breakfast and dinner - 20 €. Meals are geared towards local cuisine with abundance traditional dishes from couscous.

The low season, when the number of tourists in the area is minimal, is from November to March.

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Location

Sidi Driss Hotel
Address: Matmata Ancienne, Matmata, Tunisia
Facebook Page: Hotel Sidi Idriss
[email protected]