Midès
OVERVIEW
Site: Ancient Midès
GPS: 34.406692, 7.920470
Location: Tozeur Governorate, southwest Tunisia
Description: Ruins (pre-Roman era)
Star Wars recce:
Episode I – Tunisia (December 1995)
Source: Original recce photograph (Reynolds)
Star Wars scouted set concept:
Mos Espa spaceport | various elements
Star Wars connection discovery:
Galaxy Tours (22 November 2020)
Challenges: Midès’ remote mountainous setting less than 1 km from the Algerian border seemingly presented too many logistical challenges, likely resulting in only minimal consideration to transform the hillside ruins into fictional Mos Espa.
Canyon: Tunisian tourism circles frequently identify the canyon below ancient Midès as “Star Wars Canyon,” inaccurately confusing this unique landscape with Maguer Gorge (Jebel Sidi Bouhlel). This misinformation is likely tethered to the popular (but unfounded) claim that the Midès area served as inspiration for various Mos Espa podrace canyonland CGI elements.
Kala’a Guermessa
OVERVIEW
Site: Kala’a Guermessa
GPS: 32.986201, 10.251390
Location: Guermessa, Tataouine Governorate, southeast Tunisia
Description: Amazigh mountain citadel (7th century CE)
Star Wars recce:
Episode I – Tunisia (December 1995)
Source: Original recce photograph (Reynolds)
Star Wars scouted set concept:
Mos Espa spaceport | various elements
Star Wars connection discovery:
Galaxy Tours (10 February 2021)
Isolation: Although arguably more impressive than Kala’a Chenini, Kala’a Guermessa receives comparatively very few visitors, creating a palpable sense of remote isolation framed by its two peaks of assorted ruins engulfing the stand-alone Sidi Hamza Marabout.
Challenges: The remote location of the site paired with the relatively steep ascent to access the ruins on both peaks likely resulted in only minimal consideration to transform Kala’a Guermessa into fictional Mos Espa.
Canon reference: The name Guermessa is associated (since 2015) with one of the three moons of fictional Tatooine. Nearby Chenini and Ghomrassen represent the names of the other two moons. All three locales “orbit” around Tataouine city.
Kala’a Chenini
OVERVIEW
Site: Kala’a Chenini
GPS: 32.912024, 10.263603
Location: Chenini, Tataouine Governorate, southeast Tunisia
Description: Amazigh mountain citadel (late 12th century CE)
Star Wars recce:
Episode I – Tunisia (December 1995)
Source: Original recce sketch (Reynolds)
Star Wars scouted set concept:
Mos Espa spaceport | various elements
Star Wars connection confirmation:
Galaxy Tours (5 August 2022)
Tourist attraction: Kala’a Chenini, marked by the whitewashed Al-Farajeen Mosque as the distantly visible landmark for the bustling ancient mountain village, remains one of the most visited sites on the tourism circuit in southern Tunisia.
Challenges: The popularity of the site coupled with its remote location and the relatively steep ascent to access the ruins likely resulted in only minimal consideration to transform Kala’a Chenini into fictional Mos Espa.
Canon reference: The name Chenini is associated (since 2015) with one of the three moons of fictional Tatooine. Nearby Guermessa and Ghomrassen represent the names of the other two moons. All three locales “orbit” around Tataouine city.
