Tunisia

Tozeur

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Berber rugs in Ouled el-Hadef ❘ Craig Pershouse/Getty Images
Star Wars movie set ❘ Naveed Hussain/Alamy
Dar Cheraït Museum ❘ Chris Howes/Wild Places Photography/Alamy
Palm grove in Tozeur ❘ Olga Lipatova/Dreamstime
Salt lake at Chott El Jerid ❘ Westend61/Getty Images
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Come for Tatooine, stay for Tozeur.

The nearby Chott El Djerid, the Sahara’s largest salt lake, offers a mirage like nowhere else on Earth.

Just a short drive outside of Tozeur, a desert city in Tunisia, is Tatooine. The fictional city in a galaxy far, far away was actually named for the city of Tataouine, farther south. But out there in the Sahara lie a handful of Star Wars sets that have been left, well-preserved, for curious travelers and fans. There’s the Mos Espa Spaceport, home of a young Anakin, where each building is only a story tall (digital effects built the rest). Between them, a handful of robot-like “moisture vaporators”—used on Tatooine to collect much-needed water—stretch toward the sky. Even if you’re not a Star Wars aficionado, it’s a fascinating sight: For 360 degrees around this little “town,” all you’ll see is a seemingly endless desert.

Beyond fiction, the city of Tozeur itself houses wonders of its own. It’s a great jumping-off point for visiting the nearby Chott El Djerid, the Sahara’s largest salt lake, where you can experience a mirage like nowhere else on Earth. Compared to the always-busy city of Tunis, a six-hour bus ride to the north, Tozeur offers the easy respite of an oasis city.

Sailboat at Chott El Jerid ❘ Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images

One of the city’s most striking features is the Palmeraie, a grove with more than 200,000 date palms. Dates are so abundant here that Tozeur is recognized as the country’s leading producer of deglet noor dates. These small and honey-colored treats offer a sticky, caramel-y snack to fuel your wanderings.

Afterwards, stop into the Dar Charaït Museum, which houses Tunisian crafts, antiques, and art in a luxuriously reproduced palace. In the 14th-century medina of Ouled El Hadef, you’ll find the elaborate brickwork unique to the region, much of which has been painstakingly restored. If you want a touch more surrealism, scratch the itch at Chak Wak Park. Claiming to trace the evolution of man, it holds towering dinosaurs, a life-size replica of Noah’s ark, giant sphinxes, and other enormous, odd marvels.

KEEP WANDERING

Additional resources to learn more about Tozeur

Nabil Dattes Tozeur

Wholesales locally grown and dried dates.
Learn More

Atlas Obscura’s Tunisia Trip

Desert tours, Sahara camping, and 4x4 trips.
Learn More

Dar Cherait Museum

Crafts, antiques, and art in a luxuriously reproduced palace.
Learn More

L'îlot Palmiers Eco Camping

Camp among the palms.
Learn More
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