When 'Star Wars' invaded Tunisia (photos)

To almost anyone, the scenes will look familiar. You might not be able to quite put your finger on it at first, but then it will come to you: "Star Wars!"

Indeed, as visual artist Ra di Martino showcases in these photos, the movie sets that George Lucas and his crew built in Tunisia when filming "Star Wars" are striking and haunting. And though there are people intent on saving them, many of them are becoming increasingly decrepit.

Di Martino's photographs show a lost, remote world -- near E Chott el Gharsa, Tunisia -- which must have struck Lucas and his set designers and location scouts as the perfect spot to film some of the scenes in 1977's "Star Wars."

This is di Martino's "Home of the past, home of the future."

A beggar sits amidst the Lars Homestead site.

The desert sand slowly but surely has its way with any parts of the sets that aren't proactively cleared.

It's not entirely clear why the "Star Wars" sets were left behind after the filming was done.

If you didn't know that this was from a "Star Wars" set, you'd never guess.

Though it's not actually on Tatooine (a fictional planet, of course), it's easy to tell why Lucas wanted to film in such a remote and desolate location.

This was the set used as Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt's home, known as the Lars Homestead.

A closer look at the entrance to the Lars Homestead.

Is this damage due to the Empire's attack, or the passage of time since "Star Wars" was filmed?

A group called Save Lars has been working to repair and renovate some of the sets at the location in the Tunisian desert. Unfortunately, it's a big job, and not everything is so quick to be saved.

A look down into the Lars Homestead, as captured by Declan McCullagh.

A look at the childhood slave quarters where Annakin Skywalker grew up, also in Tunisia.

Where did Lucas get the name Tatooine from? This sign, in Tunisia, tells the story.