Tatooine's Namesake
The planet is not actually named in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope; according to Lucas he intended to name it Utapau but finally he named it retrospectively after a nearby town to the movie's desert location, Tataouine (French spelling) or Tataween spelling in southern Tunisia. Utapau however was given to a different planet, in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Filming was not done in the Tunisian town of Tatouine itself, but instead at Tunisian locations such as Matmâta, Djerba, and Tozeur.
The name "Tatouine" comes from the Berber word "Tiṭṭawin" literally meaning "the eyes" and figuratively "the water springs". The city of Tetouan in northern Morocco has the same root.
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