Tataouine is a small city in southern Tunisia that lent its name — slightly mangled — to the desert planet Tatooine in Star Wars. George Lucas filmed nearby and borrowed the name, which has made the town a minor pilgrimage site for fans, though there is nothing Star Wars-related in the town itself.
The real reason to visit is the surrounding landscape. The Berber ksour (fortified granaries) in the hills south and west of Tataouine are extraordinary — honeycomb-like structures of stacked vaulted chambers, built into the hillsides, where grain and oil were stored for centuries. Ksar Ouled Soltane, about 20 kilometres south, is the most photogenic and best preserved, with four levels of ghorfas (storage rooms) surrounding two courtyards. Chenini, a hilltop village about 18 kilometres west, has a dramatic setting with white mosque and troglodyte houses clinging to a ridge.
Tataouine itself is a functional market town — not much to look at, but a practical base. The Thursday market is lively. The landscape between here and Douz to the northwest is classic Saharan fringe: rocky desert, scattered oases, and an enormous sky.