Tatooine Disappearing Soon...

Northwest of the city of Tozeur, deep in Tunisia's Sahara desert, is an abandoned settlement of about 20 buildings that are partly submerged by the sand. Strangely familiar, they remind you of something alien you might see in a galaxy far, far away... it is the set George Lucas created for Tatooine, the birthplace of Anakin Skywalker. Thanks to the Tunisian government, is has remained intact, up to now.

Lorenz (center) with colleagues at the Mos Espa
site in Tunisia in 2009.

Today, the sand dunes of the Sahara are starting the process of claiming Tatooine as one more of the lost cities that lie under its sands. If you want to be a witness to what is surely an important piece of film history, you are running out of time. According to a 41-page scientific study from John Hopkins University's Ralph D. Lorenz and other scientists from University of Sousse, Brigham Young University, University of Idaho, and the Universita' d'Annunzio, the Tatooine set is starting to be covered by a sand dune moving at a rate of 4 cm per day.

It seems Tatooine is facing a threat far more serious than the Empire...