Tunisian officials have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to help them save Mos Epsa, the Lars homestead on Tatooine in several Star Wars films. The site is near the Tunisian city of Nefta, and has been preserved as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, it’s located in the desert, and is currently being inundated by moving sand dunes. According to the Indiegogo page, “The work to remove the sand burying the site has already started on 23 March, and 140 000 Tunisian dinars (89 000$ / 64.000 euros) are still necessary for the second phase of the project: Conserve and promote the site.”

They write “this mythical place is in danger and if action isn’t taken rapidly, the desert will bury a part of the set and damage the remaining structures forever.

“When the site, aside from being a prominent place of worship and pilgrimage for Stars Wars fans from all over the world, the village of Mos Espa (Ong Jmel – Nefta), one of Tunisia’s highest cultural heritage sites, is of high importance to the local economy and global culture.

“Thanks to the contribution of a generous donor, who has advanced the necessary funds to kick-start the work, excavators have arrived on the site of Mos Espa and already parts of the set have begun to arise.

“The press coverage following Save Mos Espa’s international awareness campaign has also enabled to raise 160 000 dinars in only 10 days from the Tunisian government. This money has been allocated directly to the Governorate of Tozeur and will be dedicated to the work of sand-removal and the destruction of the body of the ‘barkhane’ (large mobile dune), i.e.: over 20.000 square meters of sand to move out of the site.

“There are still 140.000 Tunisians dinars to raise and this is where you come in!

“Today, the Tunisian association CDTOS (Tourism Chamber for the Oasis and Sahara regions) urges for your support to help raise 140 000 Tunisian dinars (out of the 300 000 dinars for the total operation), which is the amount needed to cover the second phase of the Save Mos Espa project.

“As we value your trust, we intend to lead this mission within an ethical framework and act according to the principles of disinterested management. All our members are volunteers and have signed a code of ethics. Our accounts are made public. They will be published regularly on our website. An official statement will be released detailing all donations received and their allocation. We will mention the names of the donors and companies that wish to be cited. Anyone can request access to the information relating to this operation.”

At press time, the campaign has $3,347 pledged of the $45,000 goal, with 58 days left. The page for more information and to participate is https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-mos-espa