Star Wars filming locations in Tunisia
Star Wars was filmed in Tunisia around Nefta and Tozeur, at Matmata, in the ksour of the south east and on Djerba. Galaxy Tours records twelve sites, and nine are confirmed here. Four films used the country, from filming that began on 22 March 1976. Ksar Ouled Soltane is disputed, and we do not list it.
By Iconic Tunisia. Last updated .
Film by film
Four Star Wars films used Tunisia. The list of confirmed sites is the one on our Star Wars expedition page, taken from Galaxy Tours' research and checked against Wikipedia's list of filming locations. A site is on it only where both place it in a film. This is the same list cut by the film that used each site.
| Film | Tunisian sites it used |
|---|---|
| A New Hope (1977) | Chott el Djerid, Hotel Sidi Driss, Gour Beni Mzab, Maguer Gorge and Ajim |
| The Phantom Menace (1999) | The Mos Espa set, Ong Jemel, Maguer Gorge, Ksar Haddada and Ksar Ommarsia |
| Attack of the Clones (2002) | Chott el Djerid, Hotel Sidi Driss and The Mos Espa set |
| Revenge of the Sith | Chott el Djerid |
The first film began filming in the deserts of Tunisia on 22 March 1976 (StarWars.com). The years are the films' release years as Galaxy Tours gives them, and where it gives none for a film we print none.
The sites are not equally old. The Mos Espa set, Ksar Haddada and Ksar Ommarsia belong to the films shot from 1997, not to the 1977 film. What the 1977 film used was the Jundland Wastes, the dune sea, Mos Eisley and the two halves of the Lars homestead.
Area by area
A traveller does not think in films, but in what is within a morning's drive of what. The nine confirmed sites fall into four areas.
| Area | Site | What was filmed there | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nefta and Tozeur | Chott el Djerid | The dome that is the entrance to the Lars homestead, on the salt flats | A New Hope, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith |
| Nefta and Tozeur | The Mos Espa set | The marketplace of Mos Espa and its podrace arena | The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones |
| Nefta and Tozeur | Ong Jemel | A desert mesa used for the Sith landing, and one turn of the podrace course | The Phantom Menace |
| Nefta and Tozeur | Gour Beni Mzab | The dune sea, and the place where an escape pod comes down | A New Hope |
| Nefta and Tozeur | Maguer Gorge | The canyons of the Jundland Wastes | A New Hope and The Phantom Menace |
| Matmata | Hotel Sidi Driss | The inner courtyard and interior of the Lars homestead, in underground dwellings | A New Hope and Attack of the Clones |
| The south east, around Tataouine and Medenine | Ksar Haddada | A fortified granary village used for the Mos Espa slave quarters | The Phantom Menace |
| The south east, around Tataouine and Medenine | Ksar Ommarsia | A town granary that stood in for one street of the Mos Espa slave quarters | The Phantom Menace |
| Djerba | Ajim | Mos Eisley's streets and plaza, and the cantina's exterior | A New Hope |
What was filmed is shortened from Galaxy Tours' record of each site. The area is where Galaxy Tours places it.
Galaxy Tours' list has twelve sites in all. Three are left out here, as on the expedition page: two mosques on Djerba and a second stretch of the Mos Espa dunes, where the set lies buried.
What a visitor should know
These are notes from published sources that the expedition page does not use. Some are years old, and none of them states opening hours or what it costs to enter.
| Site | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| The Lars homestead dome, Chott el Djerid | Near Nefta. Atlas Obscura says to have a guide, a 4x4 or both, and to leave the road about 10 km out of Nefta and drive off road. Galaxy Tours counts six rebuilds or restorations of the dome from 1976 to 2022 |
| Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata | A hotel in underground dwellings. Atlas Obscura says it is open all year, with 20 rooms in four caverns and a fifth pit that is a restaurant, and that regular daytime buses and shared taxis run from Gabes, 40 km away |
| The Mos Espa set, Eriguet dunes | Lonely Planet calls it probably Tunisia's best preserved Star Wars set, nearly 20 domed buildings, says the film crew spent nearly five months there, and advises going early to avoid tour groups. Atlas Obscura advises a sturdy four wheel drive and plenty of water |
| Ksar Haddada | Wikipedia says part of the ksar has been turned into a hotel, and that most residents have left for lack of work. Lonely Planet's 2018 article calls it heavily restored and says a sign reminds visitors it appeared in The Phantom Menace |
| The Tozeur cluster | Lonely Planet's 2018 article calls the last cluster of sites an easy day trip from Tozeur, and says any hotel there knows the films are a big draw and can arrange tours |
The two halves of the Lars homestead are far apart. Its inner courtyard was filmed at the Hotel Sidi Driss, about 160 miles from the dome that is its entrance (Atlas Obscura).
Which of our journeys reach them
Four places on our itineraries are, or stand beside, a confirmed site: Chott el Jerid, the Mos Espa set, Matmata and Ksar Haddada. This is which journeys reach them, and the days on which the journey's own sheet says Star Wars in so many words.
| Journey | Places it reaches | Days whose sheet says Star Wars |
|---|---|---|
| The Wonders of Tunisia, 11 days | Chott el Jerid, Mos Espa, Matmata and Ksar Haddada (4 of 4) | day 6 and day 8 |
| Students Fun Tour, 7 days | Chott el Jerid, Mos Espa and Matmata (3 of 4) | day 5 |
| The Splendors of Tunisia, 8 days | Chott el Jerid, Mos Espa and Matmata (3 of 4) | day 5 |
| Tunisia's Marvels, 10 days | Chott el Jerid, Mos Espa and Matmata (3 of 4) | day 8 |
| Tunisia's Mediterranean Treasures, 12 days | Matmata and Ksar Haddada (2 of 4) | None |
Read from our itineraries. A journey that reaches none of the four is left out. No sheet names Ajim on Djerba, Ong Jemel, Gour Beni Mzab, Maguer Gorge or Ksar Ommarsia as a stop, so ask us if you want one. The expedition page lists the same four places and the journeys that reach each.
A disputed site: Ksar Ouled Soltane
Ksar Ouled Soltane, a large ksar in Tataouine Governorate, is named as a film location in some sources, and the sources split over it.
For: Lonely Planet's 2018 article calls it the second of two ksour used in filming, after Ksar Haddada, and a short Wikipedia article also says it was a film location.
Against: Galaxy Tours, which researches the sites in detail, wrote in 2026 that it is not a Star Wars film site. On its account the crew at most scouted it before The Phantom Menace, and no photographs or sketches of that visit are known.
We cannot settle this, so we have left it off the confirmed list and we do not state it as a location.
The sets are in the desert
The sets around Nefta and Tozeur are in the desert. At Tozeur the weather service's average daytime high reaches 103.1F (39.5C) in July, after 98.1F (36.7C) in June and 89.2F (31.8C) in May (Institut National de la Météorologie). Which months we suggest for a journey that reaches them, and why, is in the best time to visit Tunisia.
The 2027 trip
For the fiftieth year of the first film and the trip built around it, which includes the three dates called the anniversary and why we use one of them, see the expedition page. The sets and the path of the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027 are in the eclipse guide.
What we could not verify
- Whether each site is open to visitors today, and its hours or fees. None of our sources states them.
- The years of the films' scenes beyond the release years Galaxy Tours gives.
- The condition of the sites now. The sources above are dated and some are years old.
- Ksar Ouled Soltane, as above.
Questions and answers
- Where was Star Wars filmed in Tunisia?
- In four areas. Around Nefta and Tozeur: the Chott el Djerid salt flats, the Mos Espa set in the Eriguet dunes, Ong Jemel, Gour Beni Mzab and Maguer Gorge. At Matmata: the Hotel Sidi Driss. In the south east: the ksour of Ksar Haddada and Ksar Ommarsia. On Djerba: the village of Ajim.
- Which Star Wars films were filmed in Tunisia?
- A New Hope (1977), The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and the last of them, Revenge of the Sith, according to Galaxy Tours' site records checked against Wikipedia's list of filming locations. StarWars.com says filming of the first film began in the deserts of Tunisia on 22 March 1976.
- Where was Mos Eisley filmed?
- At Ajim, on the island of Djerba, according to Galaxy Tours. It is a different place from the Mos Espa set, which stands in the Eriguet dunes north of Nefta and was built for the later films.
- Where is the Lars homestead in Tunisia?
- In two places. The dome that is its outside is on the Chott el Djerid salt flats near Nefta, and its inside was filmed in the Hotel Sidi Driss at Matmata, about 160 miles away according to Atlas Obscura.
- Can you visit the Mos Espa set?
- Yes. Lonely Planet calls it probably Tunisia's best preserved Star Wars set, nearly 20 domed buildings, and advises going early to avoid tour groups. Atlas Obscura advises a sturdy four wheel drive and plenty of water for the desert crossing.
- Is Ksar Ouled Soltane a confirmed Star Wars site?
- No, and the sources disagree about it. Lonely Planet's 2018 article and a short Wikipedia article say it was used. Galaxy Tours, which researches the sites in detail, says it was not and describes at most a scouting visit before The Phantom Menace. We leave it off the confirmed list.
- How many days do you need to see the Star Wars sites?
- Our eleven day journey reaches all four of the mainland places our programmes share with the confirmed sites: Chott el Jerid, the Mos Espa set, Matmata and Ksar Haddada. Our eight and ten day journeys reach three of them.
Sources
Every figure in this guide names where it came from. These are the sources, in the order the guide first uses them. Where a figure is our own working on a source's numbers, the guide says so beside it. Figures about our own programmes, the prices, the itineraries, the hotels and the months we suggest, come from the programme documents behind each journey page.
- Galaxy Tours: Star Wars Film Sites in Tunisia
Specialist research site.
- List of Star Wars filming locations
Wikipedia. Published.
- On This Day: Star Wars: A New Hope Began Filming 50 Years Ago
StarWars.com. Official.
- Atlas Obscura, Lars Homestead
Published.
- Atlas Obscura, Hotel Sidi Driss
Published.
- Lonely Planet, Mos Espa
Published.
- Ksar Hadada
Wikipedia. Published.
- Lonely Planet, Finding the Force: Star Wars film sets in southern Tunisia (20 September 2018)
Published.
- Iconic Tunisia journey pages, from our own programme documents
Published.
- Ksar Ouled Soltane
Wikipedia. Published.
- Galaxy Tours: Ksar Ouled Soltane, a scouted site
Specialist research site.
- Institut National de la Météorologie, climate data
Official.
Written by Iconic Tunisia and last checked against these sources on 11 October 2026. Nothing here is legal, medical or insurance advice.
Where to go from here
Fifty years of Star Wars
The expedition page is the trip: the fiftieth year of the first film, the three dates called the anniversary, and how to start planning around the sites.
Starting takes two minutes. We ask for your rough dates, who is travelling and where to reply, and nothing about payment or passports.
We reply within one business day, US Eastern time.