Star Wars in the Sahara

Do you think there's a pot o' gold at the end of rainbows in the desert?

The drive from Douz deeper into the Sahara to the Ksour region was beautiful.  We were all excited to begin the next stage of our journey...

...and then we arrived in Tataouine.  Nope, not a misspelling.  But, yes, the source of George Lucas' inspiration for Star Wars.  I don't know what it was like 35 years ago when he was there, but today?  Tataouine is a pretty uninspiring place.  It's small, depressing, and there were hardly any women about, even though it wasn't that late.  I don't know how it could inspire ANYONE.  Even M, the optimist out of the 3 of us, remarked that after seeing the place, it's no wonder that Luke wanted to get off of Tatooine.

We spent the night in a similarly uninspiring hostel, whose most remarkable features (aside from the smell in the bathroom!) were the leopard print blankets on the beds.

But, it's amazing how much better things can seem in the morning. 

After a nice breakfast, we headed out to visit a few of the most popular ksour (the plural form of ksar).  Ksour are fortified granaries built by the local Berber tribes.  Our first stop was Ksar Ouled Soltane.  Star Wars buffs might recognize a few of these places...

Next, we headed to Ksar Haddada-another Star Wars pilgrimage site. 

This is what the unrestored part looks like: