Welcome to Mos Espa on Tatooine!  In real life - Eriguet dunes area south of Chott el-Gharsa in the Tunisian desert that was used as a location for filming the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The set was built for the 1999 film "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" and was later used again in "Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."

Mos Espa was designed to be the hometown of the character Anakin Skywalker, who later becomes Darth Vader. Here, Anakin and his mother live as slaves. The set was built by a crew of over 100 workers and includes a number of impressive structures, including a market, a junkyard, and the Skywalker family home. The set was built using materials that were readily available in the area, including adobe bricks and plaster.

After filming was completed, the Mos Espa set was abandoned and slowly began to deteriorate. The harsh desert conditions and lack of maintenance have taken their toll on the structures, and today the set is a ghost town of crumbling buildings and abandoned props.

Despite its state of disrepair, the surreal Mos Espa is a “must-see” for Star Wars fans. Visitors can explore the abandoned set and take photos of the iconic locations from the films. In recent years, there have been efforts to preserve and restore the Mos Espa set, with some calling for it to be turned into a museum or cultural center.

Bonus fact: did you know that the planet Tatooine was named after a very real nearby Tunisian town, Tataouine? 

Photo: Bel Adone