2000 October 28 : Saturday

STAR WARS CANYON ['cont.]

True to my word, a day or two later I was up with the sun and back at the canyon. And so was my Tunisian friend. Opening my book of stills, I turned to a section of pages showing shots from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. I knew the lost city of Tanis was filmed very near this area, but the shots I had were mostly close-ups and only revealed landmarks such as palm trees. Not very descriptive to say the least. However, my new friend had ideas and after a short hike we arrived at the first telltale spot. The remnants of a dirt road and the unmistakable form of the landscape it cut through was enough to tell me that this had been the location where Harrison Ford caught up to the Nazi truck carrying the Ark Of The Covenant. The low rise before us was the same spot from where he made his final assault via horseback. After climbing it to take a photo, we continued on down the other side and into a low plain.

We walked toward a small grove of palms and upon reaching it, my friend paused to look at one of the stills. He glanced up at the landscape several times before looking over at me and pointing out the entrance to the "map room" at the top of a low hill. Disbelieving, I looked at the photo and then at the hill. A small scoop had been taken out of the top of it. Could this be the place? We climbed to the top and found that it was indeed. Pieces of plaster littered in the small depression confirmed the spot of the false opening (the interior was again, a set on a London sound stage).

Looking again at the book of stills, he pointed out the location of the landing field where the German "flying wing" had been stationed. Now a palm nursery, very little remains of the runway. Looking back the other way, he pointed towards a low ridge that bordered the flat. We descended from the Map Room entrance and walked towards the ridge. As we moved along the top of it, I noticed more patches of broken plaster. It amazed me that after twenty years, crumbling bits of the sets still remained. In some of the patches, bits of Styrofoam could be found as well. Together with the plaster, they were the building materials of the Tanis dig site. Once upon a time, they represented an ancient Egyptian obelisk or part of a stone temple. Today, they are archaeology unto themselves.

From a high point on the ridge, we could see the Map Room entrance and the location of the airfield. In addition to these, a low mound marked the center of the dig site. A large cement foundation could be seen in the foreground as well as in one of my production stills. This was the place! The only challenge left was to find the location of the Well of Souls. I targeted a low hill on the other side of the flat. Reaching it, we found more plaster and Styrofoam. The final piece of the puzzle was in place. At this spot, the entrance to the Well of Souls had been built. While the interior had been built and filmed with others in London, the exterior shots of its discovery and opening had been filmed here...

West of Tozeur is the smaller oasis town of Nefta. West of Nefta is the Tunisian/Algerian border. Cross the border and you will find death and chaos. However, should you turn off the road before the border you will find the following...

01) "LA GRAND DUNE" | Same area - October 2000. At the crest of the dune you can see my "guide" and to the left of him another dark spot - my camel.

02) CHOTT EL D'JERID | Familiar mirage.

03) "LARS HOMESTEAD" | The Lars Homestead, recreated by the Episode II team on the exact same spot as the original (located by the eroded remains of 20+ year old rings of earth).

04) "LARS HOMESTEAD" | Late afternoon on the salt flat.

05) "LARS HOMESTEAD" | Self-portrait. I'd just like to point out, once again, that I'm not wearing socks.

06) "LARS HOMESTEAD" | This is what Mark Hamill saw.

08) "LARS HOMESTEAD" | I tried to recreate the scene of photo 07a (above). My twin suns are a little too close together (same colors though!).

I visited the La Grande Dune and the "Lars Homestead" in the early mornings and late afternoons of several days (not just today). However, on this day, I spent much of the afternoon back out near the town of Bouhlel, retracing the filming sites of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

08) NEAR BOUHLEL | Remnants of the road are still visible.

09) NEAR BOUHLEL | Nothing much has changed in 20 years.

10) "TANIS" | In the foreground are pieces of plaster and styrofoam - the building materials of the sets of the lost Egyptian city of "Tanis."

11) "TANIS" | Same spot - October 2000. In the lower left-hand corner of this photo you can see part of a concrete foundation. I'm not sure if it was there before the film was conceived or if it was built as part of the set. Regardless, it appears in the film as part of the dig. So does the palm grove.

12) "TANIS" | Entrance to the "map room."

13) "TANIS" | Same spot - October 2000. All that remains of the entrance is a hole and some broken pieces of plaster. Of course only the "entrance" was built here. The Map Room interior was a set on London soundstage as was the interior of the Well Of Souls.

14) "TANIS" | This unassuming mound was the location of the entrance to the "Well Of Souls."

15) "TANIS" | "Well Of Souls" - October 2000. I found it by matching the skyline with that of the still above.

16) "TANIS" | All that remains of the "Well Of Souls."

17) SIDI BOUHLEL | Approaching storm clouds.

17) SIDI BOUHLEL | Storm clouds at sunset.