Where was Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed?
1981 film directed by Steven Spielberg
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was filmed in San Francisco, La Rochelle, Kairouan, Richmond, San Anselmo, Tozeur and 4 more places — 10 recorded filming locations in the United States, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, France. Every one is a filming-location statement on Wikidata, not a guess.
Part of the Indiana Jones film series
See them on the map → Wikipedia Source data
Filming locations
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🏙 Towns & cities
San Francisco
🇺🇸 United States
consolidated city and county in California, United States
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🏙 Towns & cities
Tozeur
🇹🇳 Tunisia
city in southwest Tunisia
“The Sidi Bouhlel canyon near the city of Tozeur is where a rocket launcher-equipped Jones confronts the Nazis for the Ark.” Wikipedia
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🎬 Studios & sets
Elstree Studios
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
film and television production facility on Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
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🏛 Landmarks & buildings
San Francisco City Hall
🇺🇸 United States
city hall for the City and County of San Francisco, California, USA
“Marcia is not credited in the film, but her suggestion led Spielberg to shoot a final exterior sequence on the steps of San Francisco City Hall showing Jones and Marion together.” Wikipedia
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🏙 Towns & cities
La Rochelle
🇫🇷 France
French commune and prefecture of Charente-Maritime, New Aquitaine
“The U-boat scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were also shot in La Rochelle.” Wikipedia
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🏙 Towns & cities
San Anselmo
🇺🇸 United States
town in Marin County, California, United States
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🏙 Towns & cities
Kairouan
🇹🇳 Tunisia
Tunisian town
“The Cairo village was filmed in the city of Kairouan.” Wikipedia
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🏙 Towns & cities
Richmond
🇺🇸 United States
city in Contra Costa County, California, United States
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🏛 Landmarks & buildings
Royal Masonic School for Girls
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
school in Hertfordshire, UK
“The interior of Jones's school was filmed at The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, in Hertfordshire; the exterior was the University of the Pacific in California.” Wikipedia
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🏙 Towns & cities
Anahola
🇺🇸 United States
human settlement in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States of America
“Kalalea Mountain overlooking Anahola is featured in the first shot of the 1981 feature film Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Wikipedia
Also per Wikipedia's Filming section
Wikipedia’s Filming section names 5 more places. A sentence in an article is weaker evidence than a Wikidata statement, so these are listed apart, never mixed into the statement list, and the claim links straight to where it came from.
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🏞 Landscapes & nature
Kauaʻi
🇺🇸 United States
northernmost populated island of the Hawaiian archipelago
“The Paramount logo dissolving into a natural mountain was an improvisation by Spielberg based on his own childhood habit of doing the same while making films; the mountain is Kalalea Mountain on the island of Kauaʻi.” Wikipedia
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🏙 Towns & cities
Rickmansworth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
town in Hertfordshire, England, UK
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🏛 Landmarks & buildings
University of the Pacific
🇺🇸 United States
private university in Stockton, California, United States
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🏞 Landscapes & nature
Hulē‘ia National Wildlife Refuge
🇺🇸 United States
national Wildlife Refuge in Hawaiʻi, US
“Ten locations were used across Hawaii, including the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge.” Wikipedia
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🏞 Landscapes & nature
Nā Pali Coast State Park
🇺🇸 United States
State park in Hawaii, United States
“As replacements could not be sourced locally, a pair of gray donkeys were dyed brown with colored hairspray and flown by helicopter to the Nā Pali Coast State Park to finish the scene.” Wikipedia
Places whose own article says it was shot there
5 places whose own Wikipedia article names this film as something shot there, where Wikidata records nothing and this film’s own article does not say so either. The weakest evidence on this atlas: no pin on the map, and nothing in the downloads. Each sentence is quoted whole and linked to the article it came from, so it can be judged rather than taken on trust.
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Kauaʻi United States
“Parts of the island were used for the opening scenes of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Wikipedia
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Tozeur Tunisia
“Tozeur was used as a filming location for the Star Wars saga and Raiders of the Lost Ark (specifically Sidi Bouhlel canyon outside the town and the salt-flats of nearby Nefta).” Wikipedia
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San Francisco City Hall United States
“The Grand Staircase is featured in the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) as a stand-in for an unnamed government building in Washington, D.C.” Wikipedia
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Kairouan Tunisia
“Kairouan was used as a filming location for the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, standing in for Cairo.” Wikipedia
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Royal Masonic School for Girls United Kingdom
“The school has been used as a filming location on a number of occasions for films and television, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Supergirl, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Me and Orson Welles.” Wikipedia
Recorded only at country level
Wikidata also records this film as shot in California, Hawaii, Hertfordshire, without saying where. Those statements are true but unmappable — a pin in the middle of a country would claim something nobody wrote — so they are listed here instead of guessed at.
Also shot in these places
- Titanic 1997
- The Matrix 1999
- Ant-Man 2015
- All About Eve 1950
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989
- Vertigo 1958
- Venom 2018
- Basic Instinct 1992
- Milk 2008
- Star Trek 2009
- The Birds 1963
- Pretty Woman 1990
Set in the same places
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Watch Dogs 2
- SimCity
- Crazy Taxi
- Driver: San Francisco
- Asphalt Legends
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 2000
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Dead Island 2
- Avengers
- Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
- Vanquish
Frequently asked questions
How many filming locations does Raiders of the Lost Ark have?
10 places recorded on Wikidata, and 5 places named in its Wikipedia article, labelled per Wikipedia, across 4 countries.
In which countries was Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed?
the United States, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and France.
Was Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed at a studio?
Yes. Elstree Studios, recorded on Wikidata as a filming location.
Which other productions were filmed at the same places?
Titanic (1997), The Matrix (1999), Ant-Man (2015), All About Eve (1950) and 8 more, each listed on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Filming location statements on Wikidata, plus places named in the production's own Wikipedia article, which are labelled per Wikipedia. Nothing is scraped from listicles and nothing is generated.