lars homestead exterior

The igloo-like exterior of the Lars Homestead from the beginning of A New Hope is located in the salt flats of south-west Tunisia. The crater the film crew dug gives the illusion of the underground courtyard that was actually filmed 240 km away at a hotel in Matmata, Tunisia.

The igloo was dismantled after the filming of A New Hope, but it was rebuilt in the same spot to be used in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. After the prequels it fell into disrepair, and some Star Wars fans raised money and restored the small building in 2012.

Across the dry salt lake bed of Chott el Jerid is where Hungarian explorer Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes) set up camp in the 1996 Oscar winner for Best Picture, The English Patient.