Visiting the Tunisian desert where 'Star Wars' was filmed
Posted April 23, 2018 7:00 am
MATMATA, Tunisia (AP) - There's a reason the original "Star Wars" movie was filmed in the deserts of southern Tunisia. This stark, remote landscape looks like another planet.
One of Tunisia's vast desert regions is even called Tataouine (ta-TWEEN), like Luke Skywalker's home planet, Tattoine.
And the underground home where Luke Skywalker first appeared living with his uncle and aunt is a real hotel in the town of Matmata, one of various desert locations used in the movies.
Masoud Berachad owns the Hotel Sidi Driss. He says visitors have dropped off since Tunisia's democratic revolution in 2011 and attacks on tourists in 2015.
Still, devoted "Star Wars" fans keep the hotel in business.
Before becoming a hotel in 1969, the "Star Wars" dwelling was a traditional home used by indigenous Berbers, carved from sandstone.
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows a 4-by-4 vehicle taking tourists down a sand dune to visit an abandoned Star Wars film location in the Sahara Desert near Tozeur in southern Tunisia. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows a traditional underground Berber home that's been turned into a museum. The home is near Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of the original Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows a boat-like structure with a Tunisian flag flying on it as it sits on a massive salt lake in southern Tunisia called Chott el Djerid. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows vendors inside an abandoned Star Wars film location in the Sahara Desert near Tozeur in southern Tunisia. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows tourists and vendors inside an abandoned Star Wars film location in the Sahara Desert near Tozeur in southern Tunisia. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo a road marker on a highway passing through a massive salt lake in southern Tunisia called Chott el Djerid. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows an old Berber cave home in Tamezret that has been turned into a museum that showcases Berber history and arts. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows Mahboub Theouibi, a woman who lived in a traditional underground Berber home that's been turned into a museum. The home is near Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of the original Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows the interior of a bar decorated with Star Wars-related photographs inside the Hotel Sidi Driss. The hotel served as Luke Skywalker's home in the original Star Wars. The hotel is in Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows the high desert landscape near Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of the original Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows Masoud Berachad, the owner of the Hotel Sidi Driss, which served as Luke Skywalker's home in the original Star Wars. The hotel is in Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows the entrance to a traditional underground Berber home that's been turned into a museum. The home is near Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of the original Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
The Associated Press
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