The old quarters of Ksar Hadada are good examples of how tourism can save valuable parts of the past. The ksar is walled, with the entrance from the modern village of Ksar Hadada, and right after you enter you're in the hotel courtyard. The hotel is relatively big, and fills a good part of the entire ksar. If you continue straight in from the gate, you will come to the unused parts of the ksar after some 20 metres. The difference from the hotel is dramatic. The structures have uncovered and unpainted facades, and large parts of this quarter is falling in. Ksar Hadada was used as the location for the Star Wars movie of 1999, where it had the name Mos Espa, a town on the planet Tatooine. Since 1998 the hotel has been closed for restoration. Locals told me that it would reopen in summer 2001, but as far as I could judge, it might well happen that the owners of Hotel Ksar Hadada will overstep that date.
