The article doesn't note that the design of the set is based off the architecture of the adjacent Berber-speaking village of Matmata. Tourists are driven in old Land Rovers by guides across the sweeping dunes of the Northern Sahara to the more famous set, which isn't actually inhabited, but is named after the nearby city/region of Tataouine. I visited the site in 2011 – less as a Star Wars enthusiast and more as a student, then engaged in research on the revolution. At the time, the area was considered a bit dangerous but for slightly different reasons: borders in the Sahara are much more porous than they appear on a map, and armed militants from Libya had been sighted in the region. Now that those forces have pledged allegiance to ISIL, the permeability of Tunisia's borders becomes an even graver issue.

Matmata is a rather sleepy town containing incredibly beautiful and unique architecture. That being said, with the exception of the bar adapted for use in the first Star Wars, none of the town's famous troglodyte dwellings – or cave-complexes carved out of the ground – have retro-futuristic gadgets embedded in them. While Star Wars-related tourism provides much need income to the region's poor residents, in a way it's a shame how little attention is devoted to this innovative and unique architecture. Much more impressive than the relics of the film are these reductive-designed structures that have been lived in for centuries (and which you can stay in!). 

Tunisia has a rich architectural landscape – a list of its many beautiful and diverse sites could go on for pages – including some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, incredible Medieval Islamic architecture, and the visual remnants of French colonialism. Now that Tataouine is becoming known as a station for ISIL, the country's tourist-dependent and fragile economy will be further tested, as it is still reeling from the brutal attacks on the Bardo museum by ISIL-aligned forces.