Sallah's Rooftop, located

Barnett College

New member
Hello again.

A few months ago, die hard fan and writer of the Indiana Jones inspired book "My particular seach for the grail", Mr. Daniel Ramallo, and I began scrutinizing what we knew about the exact filming location of the sequence of Sallah rooftop. We find nothing on that place; just some production notes, the screencap in the movie itself, some short moments in the making of (expanded in the new Blu-rays making of)... but nothing about the exact whereabouts, but the point that it was of a private house in Kairouan, Tunisia. Not much, really.

We didn't find either the story of any fan who had visited the town and had been in the right place. We did not find a single one in 30 years, especially since many of us have visited Kairouan and interesting reports have been made of the environment and even a great video they have uploaded to the network.

This time of analysis and research has been fully worthy and we can ensure that we have located the exact location of the shooting.

The analysis includes a study of the locations taken from the film, an extrapolation to a 3D plane (Google Earth), and a parameterization of 24 key points perfectly triangulated location with buildings and urban furnishings from points that can be observed in the films and making of. There're quite a few more, but these 24 will do the job. The images are pretty conclusive and explain everything, so I will avoid commenting them.

Tomorrow I'll go to Kairouan for a photo essay and will visit the site. I do not know if I'll be allawed to climb up the roof but I think you should try at all costs, don't you think? I do promiss to be back with the pictures and movies to finish this thread :)

Well, I hope enjoy the images and they solve all your questions.

Thick red line, the filming locations in kairouan for the whole "El Cairo" sequences. Purple lines are the 24 places or things that can be clearly seen from the rooftop. They all lead you till the exact filming location.
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In fact, there are a few other pictures that could help you to follow this project. You can find the whole HR collection clicking here

Bests
Barnett
 

Goodeknight

New member
Quite impressive. I wonder if any pilgrims to Kairouan ever asked around. Yeah, it was a long time ago, but it would have been memorable for the locals. Someone would surely say, "Sure. That's my cousin's roof. It's right down there..." Then they'd offer to take you there for some tea, provided it was okay you stopped by the other cousin's perfume shop just to take a look. Nine hours later, you'd be laden with perfume, and sitting on Sallah's rooftop.

Can't wait to hear about your adventure!!
 

Barnett College

New member
Guess what?

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:D

I'm happy to report that I succeded in visiting the place and I've made an small album at my flickr account. Please, feel free to visit it and watch the collection of pictures I brought from the place.

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I also made an small movie of my trip, that you can find IN YOUTUBE and IN VIMEO

Hope you enjoy the review.

bests
Barnett
 
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Goodeknight

New member
WONDERFUL!!! Was it difficult to negotiate with the owner of the building to get up there? Any good stories from the locals? Did they know what you were talking about/seeking?

Sadly, the youtube content is blocked (copyright protection) for me here in the US.
 

Lance Quazar

Well-known member
Amazing work!!!! Wish I had this guide when I visited Kairouan myself a few years ago.....*

Bravo on your incredible detective work.


*I did find a terrific website a few weeks before my trip which had cataloged many of the film's locations. Unfortunately, when I actually got to Tunisia and the day before I visited the city, I couldn't find the damn site again! So we wandered aimlessly...........
 

inky_skin

Active member
Lance Quazar said:
Amazing work!!!! Wish I had this guide when I visited Kairouan myself a few years ago.....*

Bravo on your incredible detective work.


*I did find a terrific website a few weeks before my trip which had cataloged many of the film's locations. Unfortunately, when I actually got to Tunisia and the day before I visited the city, I couldn't find the damn site again! So we wandered aimlessly...........

When did you visit Lance ? We went in April '05 - not sure we'd make the trip again due to the volatile political state. What was the regions most moderate country now seems to be succumbing to extremism. Barnett - what's the mood over there right now ? I understand that some galleries and theatres are subject to censorship ? OUTSTANDING work by the way...
 

Barnett College

New member
inky_skin said:
Barnett - what's the mood over there right now ? I understand that some galleries and theatres are subject to censorship ? OUTSTANDING work by the way...

Tunisia is a peaceful place for tourists. I felt very safe and very quiet. Also I have to say that I heard that some American cruisers have declined their landing due to the problem raised by the Muslim religious offenses. However, everything was a precaution, I know of no problem in Tunisian.
Turism is a very important economic factor for Tunisians. And they know it, they respect it and appreciate it.

Thanks for your banner, Darwin :)

I uploaded the video in Vimeo. If anyone can't watch the movie in youtube, be so kind of clicking this link.

Thank you all for your comments.
Bests
Barnett
 

Barnett College

New member
Sorry I didn't see the previous questions.

The building is a private house, as it was in the past. I could speak with the owner for a while and he talked to me about renting the house to Spielberg production team. On my previous post, there's a picture of his three young daughters, who were delighted of staring at the crazy spanish roof-climber.

There's no stair nor ladder to get this roofs, so I had to climb the walls... And I loved It.:D

Some more pictures of this place. Click on'em, please.



http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8058726375_a4854c7f4a_b.jpg[/IMG[/URL]]

[URL="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8059011919_50f0283907_o.jpg"][IMG]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8059011919_783502152e_b.jpg






Hope you enjoy these.
Bests
Barnett
 

Goodeknight

New member
Barnett College said:
I uploaded the video in Vimeo. If anyone can't watch the movie in youtube, be so kind of clicking this link.

WOW!! Great video. I must say Spielberg and team did a fantastic job of taking the modern out of that city. I didn't expect it to seem so modern. (I mean, in that way that Cairo is modern, with the pyramids at the end of a busy, car/truck filled street.)

Funny how the market areas look very much the same, except with more sunglasses.

Did you get any shots inside the Marhaba bar? I believe the interiors were filmed on site there. Weren't they?

What I'd love to see is your video with clips mixed in from the films. Do you plan to do that? Perhaps another industrious Ravener could be given the opportunity.

Who were your guides? Do all the (older) locals know the locations? Did those guys know, or did they just piece it together based on your (amazing) personal guidebook?

Interesting to see some locations separated by some distance in the film, but shot side by side during production, like Omar's Garage.

Gives me all the more respect for the filmmakers.

GREAT work! And a lot of fun to watch. Now I must find an excuse to go to Tunisia...

(y)
 

Barnett College

New member
goodeknight said:
WOW!! Great video. I must say Spielberg and team did a fantastic job of taking the modern out of that city. I didn't expect it to seem so modern. (I mean, in that way that Cairo is modern, with the pyramids at the end of a busy, car/truck filled street.)

Funny how the market areas look very much the same, except with more sunglasses.

Did you get any shots inside the Marhaba bar? I believe the interiors were filmed on site there. Weren't they?

What I'd love to see is your video with clips mixed in from the films. Do you plan to do that? Perhaps another industrious Ravener could be given the opportunity.

Who were your guides? Do all the (older) locals know the locations? Did those guys know, or did they just piece it together based on your (amazing) personal guidebook?

Interesting to see some locations separated by some distance in the film, but shot side by side during production, like Omar's Garage.

Gives me all the more respect for the filmmakers.

GREAT work! And a lot of fun to watch. Now I must find an excuse to go to Tunisia...

(y)

Thanks for your interest, goodeknight. Your questions and comments are more welcome than I can explain.

About the Marhala bar: I talked with the owner he had the tired look of the one that has already been through it a million times. I asked politely if I could make a picture of and from inside the store and he asked me money for it. Then I told him to let me have a look and if it was worth it, I'd give a tip for "service". As I looked, I knew it was unnecessary since the deep and filled columns local no longer exists, and is simply a sideboard and what I felt a deep storage accessed from a door behind that desk. No unusefull pictures, no tip, no smile from the upset owner. But he tried to sell me a tablecloth. That is something.
About my guides: One was my driver, Mr. Lazhar Mami. At first, I wanted to hire him as a interpreter, but since it is a well-known Kairouan guide, he was happy to come with me and my bulky photographic dossier. I had to visit all points in the plane perfectly identified and, in fact, it was me who led the expedition, while he certified that the place we were was exactly the one in the photographs of the dossier. It was amazing to me realice the legend of Indiana Jones in Kairouan is only an anecdote for society there, and few know the name of Harrison Ford.
The other guide, completely random and accidental, is Allagui Lolfi, a local. In Kairouan you can not stand with a map in your hands and looking being lost: In a moment, dozens, I mean, dozens of curious people will surround you to lend a hand and, if they can, to kindly get some coins from you. That was the case Allagui, a wealthy local merchant who could not help joining us when he heard of Indiana, since he himself was an extra in the movie when a child in the fight scene with the dark swordsman, the cut one in the final edition of the film.
They both gave me their phone numbers and address and I'll give to anyone interested in visiting Kairouan. Now, they are the top qualified IJ filming location guides in Kairouan. Lazhar even kept my photographic dossier as a gift :D

From left to right, Lazhar and Allagui (he's holding my dossier). Do you recognize the location?(y)
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Bests
Barnett
 

Djd1

New member
Brilliant stuff! I was there in 2010 and wish I'd had access to half this info then. Sadly I think the political situation has deteriorated still further since you visited.
 
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