The name is best known the world over as the fictional home planet of Luke Skywalker. Yet Tatooine is not only a dry desert planet of a binary star system in the Arkanis Sector. It has been on the world map (at least the one of planet
Earth) a lot longer than George Lucas - yet in a somewhat different guise.
A small city in the North African country of Tunisia, Tataouine (one of
many spellings) is home to the ksour – amazing fortified granaries used by the Berber population.
Yet for millions of movie goers they are instantly recognizable as the slave dwellings of the city of Mos Espa, the childhood home of Luke’s father, Jedi gone (very,
very) bad Anakin Skywalker. In Berber, the city of Tataouine has two meanings, Eyes or Water Springs – that despite the fact it looks as arid as a city can get.
George Lucas used the area of Ksar Ouled Soltane in Tataouine when he filmed
The Phantom Menace but his
Star Wars connection with Tunisia goes back to the original
Star Wars episode when he chose various locations in the country to depict the wider world of the fictional desert planet Tatooine.
He named the planet, with a slight variation in spelling, after the historic French garrison city. This was perhaps a homage or perhaps simply because to Western ears the place does have a cool, out of this world ring to its name. Yet the buildings that served as a backdrop for Mos Espa are to be found in one part of that city - in an area known as Ksar Ouled Soltane.
Ksar Ouled Soltane began life several hundred years ago as a
ksar. This is a fortified granary which is spread out around a courtyard. The granaries are multi-storied and made from adobe. They are always located, like the one in Tataouine, on the top of the hill. In this way the valuable grain was better protected from raiding parties intent on stealing it.
Although the granaries are now uninhabited the filming of Star Wars there has assured their survival. As well as becoming one of the more important stops for anyone visiting Tunisia for a vacation which focuses on the history of the place, the granaries of Tataouine has also become a pit stop for fans of the Lucas movies undergoing an exotic Star Wars themed vacation.
By all accounts the place has not become themed beyond the point of redemption. There is only a single tourist shop there and while some of the locals do go around in Obi Wan-Kenobi robes it is sometimes difficult to tell whether it is in homage to the Jedi master or their traditional clothing.
There are no hotels in the town and very few restaurants so those visitors who arrive come in hired cars or mostly buses and only stay for a few hours. This at least assures that when you visit you do not feel surrounded by other tourists.
The granaries of Ksar Ouled Soltane have, in this way, a feeling of exclusivity for those who arrive there. You might almost, after all, be somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories – but do watch out for the Hutts. Nasty lot by all accounts.
Why the Panda is Black and WhiteThis is a superbly created piece of animation which captures the imagination. The world is monochrome until an invisible hand starts to ...
Lofoten – Arctic Circle AnomalyThe archipelago of Lofoten in Norway is north of the Arctic Circle. Yet throughout the year it has temperatures which belie its posi...
Fly Geyser – Not Quite of this WorldThey look as if they were taken on another planet, or at least on the set of a new and very expensive science fiction movie. Yet these pi...
The Lady and The ReaperAn old lady is nearing the end of her days and she longs to be with the husband she has lost. So, when death pays her a visit on nigh...
The Goat Tower - A Caprine CondominiumWhat do you do when you own a group of Swiss Mountain Goats but there isn’t anywhere for them to climb? The answer that South African far...
The Mysterious Moeraki BouldersImage Credit Flickr User geoftheref If you go down to Koekohe beach in New Zealand you can be sure of a big surprise. In front of you, scat...
Skellig Michael – Mysterious Monastery in the AtlanticNine miles off the coast of County Kerry in the west of Ireland there are two small rocky islands peeking out of the Atlantic Ocean. The l...
Hobbiton: Sheep 1, Hobbits 0Image Credit Flickr User Rob & Jules Matamata in New Zealand was the place chosen to film the Hobbiton scenes of the Lord of the Rin...
Pamukkale – Turkey’s Cotton CastleIn Turkish the name literally means Cotton Castle and it is easy to see why it was given that. Yet this geological wonder is also the site...
The Tallest Statues of Jesus Christ in the WorldProbably the most famous statue of Jesus on the planet, known for both size and location, is the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, B...