Sidi Jemour Mosque
OVERVIEW
Site: Sidi Jemour Mosque complex
GPS: 33.831420, 10.748173
Location: Groa outskirts, Médenine Governorate, Djerba island, Tunisia
Description:
Ibadi coastal defense complex (16th century CE)
Decommissioned from at least 1975 up to 2014
Star Wars film:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Set construction start: 3 April 1976
Production: 4 April 1976
Star Wars locations | Film sets:
Anchorhead | main road
Anchorhead | Tosche Station (exterior)
Great Mesra Plateau | Mos Eisley perimeter
Leads on set:
Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker
Garrick Hagon / Biggs Darklighter
Kathleen “Koo” Stark / Camie (Legends: Camie Marstrap Loneozner)
Anthony Forrest / The Fixer (Legends: Laze “Fixer” Loneozner)
Jack Purvis / robot
Kenny Baker / Artoo Detoo (R2-D2) — Note: Listed on the call sheet, but not featured in any footage
Scenes:
8 [Luke in landspeeder almost runs down a woman] <deleted> — Filmed: 4 April 1976
10 [Biggs and Luke look up into space] <deleted> — Filmed: 4 April 1976
16 [Biggs reveals to Luke that he’s going to join the rebellion] <deleted> — Filmed: 4 April 1976
Final cut: 0
Deleted: 3
Sequence:
Transition to Mos Eisley {plate} — Filmed: 4 April 1976
Final cut: 1
Deleted: 0
UNESCO: Designated as a UNESCO world heritage site on 18 September 2023 (listed as Mosquée Sidi Jmour) in tandem with 23 other historical monuments spread across 7 zones on Djerba island.
Record: Crews produced a total of 4 minutes and 11 seconds of screen time on the single day of filming at this site, more than any other Episode IV shoot day.
Omitted: None of the Tosche Station footage filmed at Sidi Jemour Mosque made the final cut.
Framed setting: Low camera angles predominantly facing north/east were used to create the inland Tosche Station visual, effectively hiding views of the Mediterranean (Gulf of Gabès) coastline surrounding the mosque.
Perimeter: Despite the introduction of CGI architecture in the Episode IV Special Edition (1997) that significantly altered the original footage used for the Mos Eisley perimeter transition sequence, this content remains the only imagery filmed at the mosque visible in the film.
Wrap: Final film site/production date for 1st unit Episode IV principal photography in Tunisia.
Maguer Gorge
OVERVIEW
Site: Maguer Gorge
GPS: 34.036182, 8.280345
Location: Jebel Sidi Bouhlel, Dghoumès National Park, Tozeur Governorate, southwest Tunisia
Description: Geological formation (Campanian Age)
Star Wars films:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999)
Set construction start: 26 March 1976 / n/a
Production: 26, 28-31 March, ~5 April 1976 / ~25 July 1997
Star Wars locations | Film sets:
Jundland Wastes | rock mesa canyon
Mos Espa podrace circuit | Canyon Dune Turn
Sluuce Canyon | desert wasteland bluff
Leads on set: Episode IV
Alec Guinness / Obi-Wan Kenobi
Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Kenny Baker / Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)
Jack Purvis / head Jawa (Legends: Dathcha)
Peter Diamond (stunt supervisor) / Tusken Raider
Scenes: Episode IV
17 [Jawas neutralize R2-D2] — Filmed: 30 March 1976
18 [Jawas carry R2-D2 to sandcrawler] — Filmed: 30 March 1976
35 [Tusken Raiders spot Luke in landspeeder] — Filmed: 29 March 1976
37 [Luke and C-3PO find R2-D2] — Filmed: 26 March 1976
38 [Luke attacked by Tusken Raiders] — Filmed: 26, 29 March 1976
39 [Arrival of Ben Kenobi in canyon] — Filmed: 28-29 March 1976
40 [Luke finds injured C-3PO] — Filmed: 28 March 1976
B42 [Luke and Ben discover killed Jawas] — Filmed: 31 March 1976
E42 [Jawa bonfire] — Filmed: 31 March 1976
47 [View of Mos Eisley, “wretched hive of scum and villainy”] — Filmed: 29 March 1976
Final cut: 10
Deleted: 0
Back-projection: Episode IV
Scene 34 [Luke spots fugitive R2-D2] <90% deleted> — Filmed: ~5 April 1976
Final cut: 0
Deleted: 1
Sequences: Episode I
Tusken Raider sniper point #1 (podrace / lap 1) — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Tusken Raider sniper point #2 (podrace / lap 1 and lap 2) <lap 2 deleted> — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Tusken Raider sniper point #3 (podrace / lap 1) — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Tusken Raider sniper point #6 (podrace / lap 2 ) — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Tusken Raider sniper point #7 and #8 (podrace / lap 2) <deleted> — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Tusken Raider sniper point #9 and #10 (podrace / lap 2) <deleted> — Filmed: ~25 July 1997
Final cut: 4
Deleted: 3
Indiana Jones film:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Production: 10 September 1980
Indiana Jones location | Film set:
Greek island | Geheimhaven canyon
Leads on set: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones
Karen Allen / Marion Ravenwood
Paul Freeman / René Emile Belloq
Wolf Kahler / Colonel Herman Dietrich
Ronald Lacey / SS-Major Arnold Ernst Toht
Scene: Raiders of the Lost Ark
144 [Indy tracks Nazi procession, threatens ark with bazooka] — Filmed: 10 September 1980
Final cut: 1
Deleted: 0
Nickname: Popularly known as “Star Wars Canyon” due to its prolific use by Lucasfilm crews.
Aerial footage: Only Star Wars film site in Tunisia filmed from an aircraft as part of production.
Canon language: Arabic text graffiti appears in Episode IV on the canyon wall behind the parked landspeeder, inadvertently distinguishing Arabic as the first written text presented on fictional Tatooine.
Wrap: Final film site for Episode IV principal photography in Tunisia (2nd unit).
Mos Eisley overlook: In place of the raw footage filmed from the summit overlooking the canyon, a matte painting by Harrison Ellenshaw (February/March 1977) depicting the vantage point from Dante’s View (Death Valley, California, USA) was used to frame the iconic Mos Eisley overlook visual featured in the final cut.
Historic: First Star Wars prequels filming location in Tunisia.
Record: Only film site in Tunisia repurposed for three geographically distinct Star Wars locations on fictional Tatooine.
Television: Only film site in Tunisia to appear in a Star Wars franchise live-action series (The Mandalorian), featured as purchased third-party footage.
Shared space: Indiana Jones filming areas overlap with the Star Wars footprint in the canyon, geographically pairing (1) the ark procession with C-3PO’s post-Tusken attack recovery location, R2-D2’s alcove hideout, Luke’s landspeeder, Obi-Wan’s “Hello There!” introduction to Luke, and Tusken Raider podrace sniper point #1 as well as (2) Indy’s bazooka position with the Tusken Raider ambush boulders and Obi-Wan’s appearance point.
Cinematic overlap: Beyond the three Lucasfilm movies, canyon interior featured in three additional full-length films: The Little Prince (1974), The English Patient (1996), and Bent Keltoum (2001).
Hotel Sidi Idriss
OVERVIEW
Site: Hotel Sidi Idriss (pit 2)
GPS: 33.542564, 9.967038
Location: Matmata al-Qadimal, Gabès Governorate, southeast Tunisia
Description: Subterranean dwelling (ca. late 17th century CE)
Star Wars films:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
Set construction start: Mid-February 1976 / early August 2000
Production: 1 April 1976 / 11 September 2000
Star Wars location | Film set:
Great Chott Salt Flats | Lars Homestead (interior)
Leads on set: Episode IV
Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker
Phil Brown / Owen Lars
Shelagh Fraser / Beru Lars
Jack Purvis / robot
Leads on set: Episode II
Hayden Christensen / Anakin Skywalker
Natalie Portman / Padmé Amidala Naberrie
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Jack Thompson / Cliegg Lars
Joel Edgerton / Owen Lars
Bonnie Maree Piesse / Beru Whitesun
Scenes: Episode IV
26 [Purchase of C-3PO and R2-D2] — Filmed: 1 April 1976
A28 [Lars Homestead—dining room] — Filmed: 1 April 1976
A28A [Lars Homestead—dining room] <deleted> — Filmed: 1 April 1976
32 [Owen looking for Luke at homestead] — Filmed: 1 April 1976
Final cut: 3
Deleted: 1
Scenes: Episode II
90 [Anakin meets the Lars family] — Filmed: 11 September 2000
92 [They discuss Shmi’s fate] — Filmed: 11 September 2000
101 [Padmé pacing in the courtyard] <deleted> — Filmed: 11 September 2000
Final cut: 2
Deleted: 1
Five pits: Hotel Sidi Idriss (founded in 1968) consists of five individual pit dwellings linked via four lateral tunnels constructed in the late 1960s as part of the hotel renovation project. The surface-level passageway leading to the middle pit dwelling (pit 3) functions as the hotel main entrance.
Blueprint: Spatial proximity of pits 1-3 at Hotel Sidi Idriss loosely mirrors the three-pit layout of the Lars Homestead exterior set constructed on the Chott el-Djerid salt flats, located 265 km to the west.
Mural: Ceiling artwork in the film site cave used for the Lars Homestead dining room set (pit 2/cave 9) was created in approximately 1968, commemorating the year the multi-pit Hotel Sidi Idriss opened for business.
Beru’s kitchen: The lateral tunnel connecting pit 1 to pit 2 (constructed in 1967/1968) paired with the adjoining steps leading into pit 2/cave 9 were collectively used as the template for the Episode IV Lars Homestead kitchen set (EMI-Elstree Studios). No kitchen interior scenes for either film were shot in Matmata.
Tandem: George Lucas and Anthony Daniels were the only cast/crew members to be in Matmata for the two production days across both films. Daniels was a bystander above pit 2 at the site during Episode IV production.
The End: Final Star Wars franchise filming location/activity in Tunisia (Episode II).
Gour Beni Mzab
OVERVIEW
Site: Gour Beni Mzab dune system
GPS: ~33.871125, 7.759225
Location: Nefta dunes area, Tozeur Governorate, southwest Tunisia
Description: Linear dunes surrounded by desert vegetation
Star Wars film:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Set construction start: Late March 1976
Production: 24-25 March 1976
Star Wars location | Film sets:
Western Dune Sea | lifepod crash site
Western Dune Sea | krayt dragon skeleton
Leads on set:
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Kenny Baker / Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)
Scenes:
14 [C-3PO and R2-D2 argue about which way to go] — Filmed: 24-25 March 1976
15 [C-3PO and bleached bones of beast] — Filmed: 24 March 1976
B32 [Stormtroopers find evidence of droids] — Filmed: 25 March 1976
Final cut: 3
Deleted: 0
Shifting sands: Only Star Wars film site in Tunisia rendered nearly impossible to precisely pinpoint due to the ever-changing wind-blown dune landscape and the removal of all verifiable krayt dragon pieces from the area by collectors from 1993 to 2002, concluding with a full-scale professional dig utilizing an excavator.
La Grande Dune: Star Wars tourism pioneers in the 1990s labeled the film site as “La Grande Dune,” a term no longer promulgated. Historical maps and local bedouin refer to the area as Gour Beni Mzab.
Windy chill: Despite the desert setting, crew wore jackets and eye goggles to protect against chilly temperatures (avg: 57°F/14°C) and frequent wind gusts (max: 11.4 mph/18.3 kph).
Desert sweep: Crew members pulled grass tufts from the flat areas surrounding the rolling dunes to ensure scenes shot in this open landscape resembled a vast barren desert.
Legacy: Six Tunisian extras from the Tozeur region, to include Taher Khawa (TK-1), suited up at this “Dune Sea” location to become the first-ever filmed stormtroopers in the Star Wars franchise.
Dewback: Background beast of burden (not listed in the screenplay) was a large fiberglass/latex skin prop with a big stick attached to the head to allow a crew member to replicate head movement while sitting alongside the prop.
Recycled dinosaur: Crew repurposed the enormous fiberglass prop from Disney’s One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975) as the krayt dragon skeleton (screenplay: “bleached bones of a dinosaur-like beast”) in the Dune Sea.
Dune walk: Anthony Daniels struggled with limited mobility in the C-3PO costume over the sandy terrain, a fact easily visible in the film.
Wise men: During a certain scene 14 take, the remote-controlled R2-D2 unit malfunctioned, failed to stop after disappearing behind a dune, and reportedly wandered onto the set of Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977), coincidentally filming desert sequences of the biblical wise men caravanning toward Jerusalem on a neighboring dune.
Dune Sea pick-ups: R2-D2 unit experienced problems rolling on the sloping dunes, prompting the decision to finish scene 14 with pick-ups filmed during mid-January 1977 post-production shooting in Death Valley (Mojave Desert, California, USA) at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes with the Death Valley Buttes in the background.
Reshoot: Lucasfilm reworked/extended scene B32 for the Episode IV Special Edition (1997) with digitalized dewbacks and new content from a one-day live-action reshoot (11 August 1995) filmed with five stormtrooper extras (four U.S. Marines paired with Ted Gagliano, Post-Production Executive at 20th-Century Fox Studios) on the Imperial Sand Dunes (Buttercup Valley) in southeastern California (USA) near the Mexican border.
Chott el-Djerid
OVERVIEW
Site: Chott el-Djerid (northwest sector)
GPS: 33.842831, 7.779026
Location: Salt flats between the Kebili and Tozeur governorates, southwest Tunisia
Description: Saline dry lake (ca. 5900 km²), largest in the Sahara
Star Wars films:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Set construction start: Mid-February 1976 / early August 2000 / early August 2000
Production: 22-23, 25, 29 March 1976 / 7, 9 September 2000 / 7 September 2000
Star Wars location | Film set:
Great Chott Salt Flats | Lars Homestead (exterior)
Leads on set: Episode IV
Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker
Phil Brown / Owen Lars
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Kenny Baker / Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)
Jack Purvis / head Jawa (Legends: Dathcha)
Leads on set: Episode II
Hayden Christensen / Anakin Skywalker
Natalie Portman / Padmé Amidala Naberrie
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Jack Thompson / Cliegg Lars
Joel Edgerton / Owen Lars
Bonnie Maree Piesse / Beru Whitesun
Leads on set: Episode III
Joel Edgerton / Owen Lars
Scenes: Episode IV
3 [Luke in wasteland with droid that malfunctions] <deleted> — Filmed: 25, 29 March 1976
26 [Purchase of C-3PO and R2-D2] — Filmed: 22-23, 25 March 1976
29 [Luke and giant twin suns] — Filmed: 29 March 1976
B29 [Luke and C-3PO rush out of homestead to look for R2-D2] — Filmed: 22, 29 March 1976
C42 [Luke discovers dead aunt and uncle] — Filmed: 25 March 1976
Final cut: 4
Deleted: 1
Scenes: Episode II
88 [They land near the homestead] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
89 [C-3PO greets Anakin and Padmé] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
90 [Anakin meets the Lars family] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
93 [Anakin takes off on Owen’s speeder bike] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
97 [Anakin talks to the Jawas] <replaced> — Filmed: 7 September 2000
98 [Anakin finds the bodies of the search party] <deleted> — Filmed: 7 September 2000
100 [Night animal howls near homestead] <deleted> — Filmed: 7 September 2000
115 [Beru draws water] <deleted> — Filmed: 9 September 2000
117 [Anakin returns with Shmi] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
131 [The funeral of Shmi] — Filmed: 9 September 2000
133 [Lars family waves goodbye] <deleted> – Filmed: 9 September 2000
Final cut: 6
Deleted: 4
Replaced: 1
Scene: Episode III
180 [Obi-Wan hands baby to Owen Lars] <replaced> — Filmed: 7 September 2000
Final cut: 0
Replaced: 1
Historic: First-ever Star Wars franchise filming location.
Starkiller: At the point of filming Mark Hamill’s introductory scenes on the salt flats, his heroic character was named “Luke Starkiller” (shooting script).
Sunset: After at least three failed attempts, the original iconic “binary” sunset over the salt flats was filmed with a cloudless light purple skyline shortly before sunset at 18:47 on 29 March 1976.
Blueprint: Three-pit layout of the Lars Homestead exterior set on the salt flats loosely mirrors the spatial proximity of pits 1-3 at Hotel Sidi Idriss (Matmata al-Qadimal), located 265 km to the east.
Record: Only film site in Tunisia featured in three Star Wars franchise films.
Overlap: Only live-action (with actors) non-studio Episode III filming location, utilized on the first day of Episode II filming in Tunisia, 34 months before the start of Episode III principal photography.
Tandem: George Lucas and Anthony Daniels were the only cast/crew members present on Chott el-Djerid for production activity across all three films.
Dome: Homestead dome—cradle of the Star Wars universe—has been built/rebuilt/repaired/restored on six separate occasions spanning from 1976 to 2022: (1) Lucasfilm initial build (February 1976), (2) Lucasfilm mid-production repairs after violent storm (28-29 March 1976), (3) Lucasfilm prequels rebuild (August 2000), (4) Save Lars fan-funded restoration (28-31 May 2012), (5) Discover Tatooine fan-funded restoration (28 April 2018), and (6) Star Wars Tunisia GIZ-funded restoration (May 2022).
Craters: Star Wars Tunisia film site restoration project (May 2022) leveled all three original Episode IV craters; replaced the (1) living quarters crater with a more compact, fortified circle (complete with flood-control piping) and (2) garage crater with a raised circular platform to display the repaired/reconstructed Episode II garage cover wooden base; but failed to restore the hangar crater, limiting the set to a two-crater layout.
Amghar Mosque
OVERVIEW
Site: Amghar Mosque
GPS: 33.740849, 10.734973
Location: Ajim outskirts, Médenine Governorate, Djerba island, Tunisia
Description:
Ibadi coastal defense mosque (10th century CE)
Decommissioned religious site (since at least 1975)
Star Wars film:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Set construction: n/a
Production: 4 April 1976
Star Wars location | Film set:
Jundland Wastes | Obi-Wan Kenobi’s house (exterior)
Leads on set: n/a
Sequence:
Transition to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s house {plate} — Filmed: 4 April 1976
Final cut: 1
Deleted: 0
UNESCO: Designated as a UNESCO world heritage site on 18 September 2023 (listed as Mosquée Imghar) in tandem with 23 other historical monuments spread across 7 zones on Djerba island.
Plate: Only Star Wars film site in Tunisia filmed strictly as a plate (no actors), augmented in post-production with a composited landspeeder.
Framed setting: Cropped footage was filmed at low camera angles from at least two different vantage points to create the inland Jundland Wastes visual, hiding views of the Mediterranean (Gulf of Gabès) coastline surrounding the mosque.
Unscheduled: Last-minute 2nd unit location shoot (absent from call sheet records) filmed on the last day of 1st unit Episode IV principal photography in Tunisia at nearby Sidi Jemour Mosque.
Replaced: Episode IV Special Edition (1997) replaced Amghar Mosque footage with a cliffside CGI-enhanced miniature, relegating on-screen discovery of “Old Ben’s” original Tatooine dwelling to pre-1997 archived copies.
Invader: Paris-based French artist Invader attached the Obi-Wan Kenobi mosaic to the mosque south wall in November 2019 as part of a 15-day sanctioned project to install 58 pre-made “space invader” mosaics around Djerba island.
Red clay repaint: Two British tourists on 13 November 2024 used locally purchased paint in an unsanctioned project intended to “restore” the 1976-era faded stone color of the mosque’s exterior. The project covered the roof, entrance wall, and qibla wall (along with the Invader’s Kenobi mosaic) with red clay paint.
Ajim
OVERVIEW
Site: Ajim neighborhood (Al-Hunit Mosque district)
GPS: 33.723964, 10.750016
Location: Ajim city center, Médenine Governorate, Djerba island, Tunisia
Accessibility: Direct | flat terrain; paved roads; parking at site
Description:
Bakery (abandoned)
Plaza
Two side streets (Rue Habib Thameur & unnamed)
Star Wars film:
Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Set construction start: Mid-February 1976
Production: 2-3 April 1976
Star Wars location | Film sets:
Mos Eisley | Cantina (exterior)
Mos Eisley | Docking Bay 94 alley
Mos Eisley | plaza
Mos Eisley | stormtrooper checkpoint
Leads on set:
Alec Guinness / Obi-Wan Kenobi
Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker
Anthony Daniels / See Threepio (C-3PO)
Kenny Baker / Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)
Anthony Forrest / stormtrooper patrol lead
Jack Purvis / robot
Peter Diamond (stunt supervisor) / cantina patron
Scenes:
48 [Ben: “These are not the droids you’re looking for”] — Filmed: 2 April 1976
49 [In Luke’s landspeeder, they approach cantina] — Filmed: 3 April 1976
ZA50 [Droids in front of cantina] — Filmed: 3 April 1976
A50 [Ben tells Luke he’ll have to sell his landspeeder] — Filmed: 3 April 1976
59 [Mos Eisley: stormtroopers watch Millennium Falcon blast off] — Filmed: 2 April 1976
Final cut: 5
Deleted: 0
Recce: The Star Wars recce in mid-November 1975 scouted an expanded footprint in the Ajim center for potential Mos Eisley footage, to include an unnamed street located one block northwest of the film site area.
Party: Cast/crew celebrated Alec Guinness’ 62nd birthday on set in Ajim (2 April 1976).
Architecture: Djerban architecture (Amazigh/Ibadi Islamic blended style)—the combination of (1) simplistic domes, (2) barrel-vaulted roofs, and (3) weight-bearing external buttresses that directly shaped “Tatooine” design—is readily visible in Ajim, both inside the small city and on menzel complexes in rural outskirts.
Mos Eisley: Crews added set dressings to (1) a now-abandoned traditional bakery (cantina exterior) with a domed side section (built to draw away heat to maintain lower room temperatures in the bakery) on Avenue Abou el Kacem Chabbi, (2) an adjoining rectangular plaza (landspeeder and pedestrian traffic) once lined to the north and south with domed grain storage ghorfas, (3) and two intersecting side streets (stormtrooper patrol activity focused on Rue Habib Thameur) just north of the plaza to create the Mos Eisley film site area in Ajim.
Spaceship: The “roller” machine used to make sandcrawler tracks at the Lars Homestead set on the Chott el-Djerid salt flats was repurposed as the elongated tail of the unnamed crashed spaceship (not the Dowager Queen) constructed to cover a large tree (since removed) near the cantina set and city buildings in the background, particularly the Ajim Primary School complex.
Jerba prop: Two shaggy-haired, fiberglass/latex skin beast-of-burden “jerbas” (named after Djerba island; call sheet: “cow with pack and saddle”) were positioned close to the cantina set faux entrance.
Stormtroopers: Anthony Forrest, sunburned from Djerban beachfront lounging while waiting to film Tosche Station scenes at Sidi Jemour Mosque after the Ajim location shoot, was cast last-minute as the the ranking stormtrooper (joining six local Tunisian stormtroopers on set) to fill the need for an English-speaking patrol lead at the security checkpoint to fluidly interact with the Jedi mind trick dialogue.
Torn pants: For the last C-3PO activity filmed in Tunisia, Anthony Daniels’ shuffle in scene 49 from the parked landspeeder toward the cantina set faux entrance was hampered by a visible split down the seat of his pants.
Controversy: Removing the “orange blob” visible under Luke’s motorized landspeeder while driving across the plaza (created by smearing vaseline on the camera lens in Ajim to disguise the landspeeder wheels) and expanding the overall vision of Mos Eisley (hindered by location shoot realities in Ajim) were key factors that prompted The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition revisions decades later, sparking the enduring “original version” debate coupled with the #ReleaseTheOriginalTrilogy campaign.
Cantina: Identified in screenplay versions either as the “spaceport cantina” or “Mos Eisley cantina,” the term “Chalmun’s Cantina” (not a screenplay reference) was first introduced in the roleplaying sourcebook Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley (1993).
Modernization: Community-wide construction/improvement projects in addition to ownership neglect have altered, replaced, or left derelict almost all film site reference points in the Ajim neighborhood.
Invader: Paris-based French artist Invader in November 2019 attached the stormtrooper mosaic to the abandoned bakery exterior (on the northern face under the dome where crews constructed the cantina set faux entrance) as part of a 15-day sanctioned project to install 58 pre-made “space invader” mosaics around Djerba island.