Visiting Tunisia’s famous films places is an original option although for most visitors, Tunisia is known for its history and its beautiful, quiet beaches.

The good thing for the visitor is that Tunisia is a small country, geographically speaking, that can be visited in a few days and that has, indeed, a great cultural and historical wealth and a magnificent, extensive, and varied coastline, but also where you can find enormous contrasts in terms of its unique landscapes, such as the Sahara Desert in the south of the country.

And all this, just 2-3 hours from Europe.

Did you know that Tunisia has also been the setting for several famous films such as Indiana Jones, the Star Wars saga and The English Patient…?

We propose an original alternative for your stay in Tunisia through a cinematic route that will allow you to learn much more about this unknown and nearby country, doing it in a different way, that is, visiting these scenarios where you can remember, and tell the youngest of your family or group of friends, some of the best moments of these films that you liked so much.

Tunisia is a country that offers a wide variety of landscapes and cultures and has been the setting for many famous films. One of them is Indiana Jones: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the first adventure of cinema’s most famous archaeologist.

n this film, Indiana Jones travels to Egypt to find the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred object containing the tablets of the law that God gave to Moses. However, most of the scenes set in Egypt were shot in Tunisia.

One of the most emblematic places is the village of Kairouan, home to the Arab market where Indiana Jones escapes from thugs and meets his friend Sallah. In this village you can visit the Great Mosque, one of the oldest and most important mosques in the Islamic world.

Another place worth visiting is Tozeur, an oasis town surrounded by palm trees and dunes. This is where the desert scenes where Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood are captured by the Nazis and taken to the Ark camp were filmed. Near Tozeur is the Chott el Djerid Salt Lake, the largest in the Sahara at up to 250km long, where the exploding plane scene was filmed.

Finally, another must-see is Sidi Bouhlel, a rocky canyon that served as the setting for the mythical final scene where the Nazis open the Ark and suffer the terrible consequences. This place was also used to film some scenes from Star Wars.

If you want to know more about these places and many others, we invite you to visit Tunisia and discover its magic.

Tunisia is a country that is home to many of the settings of the famous Star Wars saga. From the desert to the coast, from the mountains to the oases, you can visit the places where some of the most iconic scenes from the films were shot.

In and around the governorate of Tozeur, you can visit the most beautiful oasis and palm groves in Tunisia where scenes from Star Wars were filmed and discover the immense salt lake of Chott-El-Djerid (the largest in the Sahara) and even Obi-Wan-Kenobi’s house.

Another must-see is the city of Mos Espa, built especially for the filming in the desert near Tozeur. This is the Astro port where Anakin met Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé Amidala in Episode I. The city still retains some of its original structures, such as the hangar and the central square.

Near Mos Espa is also the Lars farm, where Luke grew up with his adoptive aunt and uncle. The exterior of the farm was reconstructed for Episode II and you can see its white dome overlooking the Chott el Djerid salt lake.

You can also live the unforgettable experience of a walk in the desert in the company of camel drivers, take a camel ride  and participate in the preparation of the camp to spend a magical night with your family and/or your group of friends, in the warmth of a campfire in the middle of the Sahara desert, with your head turned towards the sky and its stars: “The desert is beautiful” said the Little Prince!

You can also visit the Sidi Bouhlel Canyon, known as Star Wars Canyon, where R2D2 was captured by the Jawas in Episode IV; or the island of Djerba, where the canteen where Han Solo, Chewbacca and Obi-Wan Kenobi were first seen was recreated.

Next, Matmata, a village of Berber origin with its famous troglodyte houses that were used as a location for the filming of “Star Wars”. In Matmata you can still meet the last inhabitants and sleep in a guesthouse in one of these caves – what a sensation – and visit the Sidi Driss Hotel, which was used as Luke Skywalker’s house.

One of the best-known sites in the district is the village of Tataouine, which inspired the name and appearance of the planet Tatooine, the home of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. There you can also see the troglodyte houses where the desert dwellers lived, and which served as the setting for Shmi Skywalker’s house.

Visiting these sites, mostly in the Tunisian Sahara, is a unique experience for Star Wars fans and an opportunity to discover the beauty and diversity of Tunisia.

Tunisia is a country that has been the setting for many successful films, including “The English Patient”, a love and war story based on Michael Ondaatje’s novel and winner of nine Oscars.

In this film, set in World War II, a British airman named László Almás crashes in the desert and is rescued by a Canadian nurse who cares for him in an Italian villa. Through his memories, his passionate relationship with Catherine Clifton, the wife of a scout, is revealed.

Most of the desert scenes were shot in Tunisia, taking advantage of its stunning natural scenery and rich history. One of the most prominent locations is the Mides Canyon, where the footage of the plane crash and the rescue of Almás and Catherine was filmed. This canyon is located near Tozeur, an oasis town famous for its palm groves and traditional architecture.

Another place worth visiting is Bedu Caravan, a caravan site near the Chott el Djerid Salt Lake. This is where Catherine Clifton was recreated as the place where she died waiting for the late help of Count Almas and Catherine. This lake is one of the largest in the world and offers spectacular views.

These are just a few examples of the sites in Tunisia where The English Patient, a film that shows us the beauty and tragedy of the Sahara Desert, was filmed.

If you want to know more about these places, we invite you to visit Tunisia and discover its charm.