Planet Tataouine

Slave quarters, Mos Espa, Planet Tatooine (Just kidding, read on to find out more)

It’s May the Fourth. May the Force be with you, my friend. It’s Star Wars Day. (Yes, there’s such a thing, due to the similarity of the sound of the date, May 4th with the Jedi’s main greeting phrase).

While Ramadan continues, and yours truly continue to be loaded with work, here’re some photos I’ve collected just for an occasion like this, hehe. What better way to commemorate Star Wars Day, than to post some pictures of the main planet in the Star Wars Saga, Planet Tatooine! Tatooine is actually named after an actual place in Tunisia, Tataouine! Tataouine is a city in southern Tunisia and the capital of the Tataouine Governorate. Locations around Tataouine were used as film settings for the Star Wars Planet Tatooine. Many of these locations are actual places and are still around, like the native Berber’s underground houses used as a setting for Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, Lars Homestead (which I’ve posted a year back). Here’re some fortified granaries (Ksar) used by the local Berber community which doubled up as the slave quarters of Mos Espa in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Enjoy!


Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tunisia


Where have all the aliens and droids gone?!?






Gary Siteworker and his family exploring the place hoping to find something of value - a light saber, perhaps??


It was bone-chilling cold that day, with a freezing wind constantly blowing across the place. Huddling up with others is the best way to keep warm. Hello, can I borrow your blanket? – Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tatouine, Tunisia


Is it really that cold Jayden? This is at another ksar near Ksar Ouled Soltane, Ksar Ez Zahra (but in Google Maps, it’s marked as Al Karashiwah??) These fortified granaries are usually located on hilltops (that explains the cold), to keep them off from invaders


‘Jedis’ braving out the cold… in front of a shop


Hey, are you Obi-Wan Kenobi? So, George Lucas actually borrowed the idea of Obi-Wan’s costume from local attire – Ksar Ezzahra, Tataouine, Tunisia


Let’s get out of here before we freeze to death. Looks like a storm’s gonna hit anytime – Ksar Ezzahra

Ksar Ezzahra was not in the Star Wars film. The main ksar used for the Star Wars film was I think Ksar Hadada (which we did not visit). That would’ve been a ksar too many, I think.


The actual Tataouine – Photo taken from the balcony of our sub-sub-standard rented room in Tataouine town. There’re not many hotels in Booking.com to choose from in Tataouine. The room we booked was cancelled by the guesthouse. We immediately booked another room at the only other guesthouse listed, but we didn’t really like the place. Then the people at the first guesthouse (who cancelled us) eventually helped us get another room… Long story. This place is on the P19 road near the edge of town, just before the Mémoire de la terre roundabout


The countryside around Tataouine – That hill is called Ksar Beni Barka and has the ruins of a ksar on its peak (no, we didn't go up)

OK, calling it a day. Tunisia was our last overseas trip (Dec-2019) before COVID struck. It’s nearly 1.5 years now since we went anywhere overseas. When will this pandemic be over?!?!???