Ksar Ouled Soltane

OVERVIEW

Site: Ksar Ouled Soltane

GPS: 32.788346, 10.514549

Location: Ksar Ouled Soltane village, Tataouine Governorate, southeast Tunisia

Description: Amazigh fortified granary (late 17th century CE)

Star Wars recce:
Episode I – Tunisia (December 1995)*

Source: Correspondence with Philip Vanni (Star Wars tourism pioneer)

Star Wars scouted set concept:
Mos Espa | slave quarters

Pending: Although final confirmation is still pending, layered first- and second-hand verbal evidence suggests that Ksar Ouled Soltane—one of the most popular Tunisian ksour—was probably scouted in December 1995 or possibly during a subsequent pre-production recce in 1996. Located deep in the Tataouine region far from all major roads, the extreme remote position of the site likely resulted in only minimal consideration for Episode I production.

Correction: Despite consistently circulated misinformation dating back to 1999, Ksar Ouled Soltane is not a Star Wars film site.

*Visual confirmation pending. No recce photographs or sketches from Ksar Ouled Soltane are known to exist.

Ksar Ouled Abdallah

OVERVIEW

Site: Ksar Ouled Abdallah

GPS: 33.368891, 10.436985

Location: Metameur, Médenine Governorate, southeast Tunisia

Description: Amazigh fortified granary (18th century CE)

Star Wars recce:
Episode I – Tunisia (December 1995)

Source: Original recce photograph (Reynolds)

Star Wars scouted set concept:
Mos Espa | slave quarters

Star Wars connection discovery:
Galaxy Tours (9 December 2020)

Courtyard: The ksar boasts one of the largest courtyards among all surviving Tunisian ksour. This defining characteristic, although impressive, likely drove the decision not to film at Ksar Ouled Abdallah in preference to the more compact, visually appealing, production-friendly layout offered at nearby Ksar Ommarsia (Médenine city), the site eventually chosen for Mos Espa slave quarters street scenes.