A group of dedicated Star Wars Fans took it upon themselves to travel to Tatooine and restore the Lars Homstead, the iconic igloo-shaped home Luke Skywalker grew up in.

It might sound like an impossible feat, but if you’re a true Star Wars fan, you know the scenes on the desert planet of Tatooine were actually filmed in the African country of Tunisia. Still, gathering the necessary resources and manpower necessary for such a journey is nothing short of impressive, and shows the kind of commitment some fans of the legendary franchise are capable of. The man behind this interesting restoration project is Belgian Star Wars enthusiast Mark Dermul. Back in 2001, Mark traveled to Tunisia to see for himself where his favorite movie was shot. Over the years, he went back there multiple times guiding over 50 other fans to the locations where the famous sci-fi saga was shot, but by 2010 he noticed the Lars Homstead was in a terrible state, so he decided to kick-start a restoration project.

Photo: Mark Dermul

The Lars Homstead was first featured in  “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”, in 1977, again in 2002, in “Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones”, and finally in 2005’s “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith”. After that, it was once again forgotten and left at the mercy of the elements. But die-hard fan Mark Dermul wasn’t just going to stand by and let such an important piece of Star Wars lore simply fad away. But, alas, it wasn’t as easy as things usually are in the movies. Although he started the “Save Lars Restoration Project” back in July 2010, he and his team of Star Wars saviors finished completed their mission in May of this year. After gaining the support of Lucas Arts’ Head of Fan Relations, they’ve had to raise $10,000, but that was accomplished in the first ten months. The most important hurdle was negotiating with the Tunisian government, which eventually agreed to allow them to carry out their project in December of 2011. The team finally arrived at the Lars Homstead in May of this year and made sure they restored it back to its former glory.

Photo: Mark Dermul

It took a week of working in 46-degrees Celsius heat, but the Star Wars fans saved the Lars Homestead on Tatooine. We’ve posted some photos and a video of their work, but for the full details make sure you visit Mark Dermul’s website.

Photo: Mark Dermul

Photo: Mark Dermul

Photo: Mark Dermul

Photo: Mark Dermul

Photo: Mark Dermul

via Yahoo!