Mos Eisley / Legends Mos Eisley ( / mɑs aɪzliː / , " moss izelee " , ) , formerly known as Eisley , was a large spaceport town on the planet Tatooine . It was the largest settlement on the planet and generally known as the " armpit of the galaxy . " Description . Mos Eisley was located in a valley to the east of the Jundland Wastes and roughly 80 kilometers north of Anchorhead , near the desert palace of Jabba the Hutt . It could be reached from the high ground to the west via the Sluuce Canyon . From a distance , the spaceport appeared as a haphazard collage of low - grade duracrete , stone , and plastoid structures that spread outward from a central power and water distribution plant . The city lacked a main landing facility ; therefore it relied on 362 individual hangars . By order of the Empire , all of these hangars were equipped with time - lock device s . Illegally parked vessels were not an uncommon sight . The town was really larger than it looked , as a good portion of it lay underground . In fact , it had a population of around 40 to 60 thousand people , varying seasonally . Streets in the city included Corporation Road , Curved Street , Outer Curved Street , Straight Street , Spacers Row , Paradise Road , Dune Street , and Kerner Plaza . Many citizens rode rontos , dewbacks , and other beasts of burden . Mos Eisley was divided into the " New Quarter " and the " Old Quarter . " The Old Quarter was originally wheel - shaped and contained a thriving marketplace . Jabba the Hutt also maintained a residence there , known as the Desilijic Complex , since it was difficult to make business from his palace . The New Quarter was more tourist - friendly and was a merchant district where tourists could relax ( though there was still much crime ) . Chalmun ' s Spaceport Cantina served as the hub of the newer quarter . Each quarter had individual neighborhoods , such as the rough - and - tumble Tar Mass area . During the Galactic Civil War , the Empire established a small garrison in Mos Eisley , although this did not help with the city ' s massive crime rates . The base was located near the cantina and whenever an expansion was required , the Empire would simply level surrounding buildings . To support the constant flow of spacers , Mos Eisley featured a large number of hotels , casinos , and cantinas . The shops district was close to a hangar , the markets , a warehouse , and a housing complex . History . Mos Eisley was built from the beginning with commerce in mind . It was founded as a substitute for the nearby , yet more expensive , Anchorhead . Located around the crash site of the " Dowager Queen " , the survivors of this crash originally named it simply Eisley . They later renamed it to fit with other towns such as Mos Espa and Mos Gamos . These same immigrants would later found the planet ' s future capital , Bestine . The city was reputed to be a hub for shady persons and illegal activity , notably the smuggling of spice and illegal arms . The city did not have enough customs officers to keep up with the crime , and even when criminals were caught , they often successfully bribed the officers . Because Tatooine was a desert planet , availability of water was at a premium and the sewers were very small . To reprocess water quickly , it was decided that the sewers should use a Bunkurd Reclamation System . Unfortunately , it was prone to leaking and often led to Bunkurd Sewer Disorder , which native Falynn Sandskimmer once contracted as a youth . During the Galactic Civil War in 0 ABY , the " hive of scum and villainy " became a target of notorious Imperial officer Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , who had been tasked with controlling the Outer Rim by Emperor Palpatine prior to the Battle of Yavin . He began his conquest on the outskirts of Mos Eisley , seeing the city as an ideal outpost for their operations . Unfortunately for the Imperials , the Rebel Alliance had their own outpost station in nearby Anchorhead , and moved to intercept the Empire , thus the Battle of Tatooine ensued . Though the Empire emerged victorious from the desert battle , their task force was considerably diminished , and their eventual presence in Mos Eisley was less than had been expected . This came back to haunt the Empire , as R2 - D2 and C - 3PO slipped through the cracks in what would otherwise have been a mighty security force . The Rebel presence in Mos Eisley was finally routed during the latter part of the battle . Chalmun ' s Cantina played a crucial role in these times , as the establishment was where Luke Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi met Han Solo and Chewbacca in their quest to get to Alderaan in order to deliver the Death Star plans to the Alliance . The Imperials also searched Mos Eisley for R2 - D2 and C - 3PO , the holders of the missing Death Star plans . Shortly thereafter , Mos Eisley was transformed overnight into a police state run by the Empire as a direct result of the Battle of Yavin . In addition , it suffered from a severe outbreak of Bledsoe ' s disease after a Jawa that unknowingly took a transport capsule from a crash site containing squills died within the cantina . Luke Skywalker reluctantly returned to Tatooine in order to investigate the capsule . Six months later , Mos Eisley was attacked by Imperial TIE Bombers and Viper probe droids to draw out the now – Rebel Alliance pilot Luke Skywalker . A bounty hunter had provided information which led to the raid . In 1 ABY , Mos Eisley and other communities on Tatooine were put under Imperial curfew by a nameless Moff . Ackmena , the night bartender of Chalmun ' s Cantina , was the one to receive the message , and reluctantly responded by singing to encourage her guests to leave . By this time , Mikdanyell Guh ' rantt was the city mayor . Jabba the Hutt owned a townhouse in the city . In 4 ABY , the city erupted in celebrations after the destruction of the Empire ' s second Death Star and the death of the Emperor . Locations . < br clear = " all " > Behind the scenes . The real - world locations for " Mos Eisley " are mostly in Djerba , Tunisia with the establishing shot on Dante ' s View in Death Valley looking toward Furnace Creek . Mos Eisley appears in a map in the 2004 video game " . " During the Historical Campaign , the battle on the map appears as an Imperial mission , although the game ' s story is secondary continuity , according to Leland Chee , the keeper of Lucasfilm Ltd . ' s Holocron continuity database . Also , Mos Eisley was used as a map for " Star Wars : Battlefront " ' s successor , " " , where the player could play as either a hero or a villain . Mos Eisley appears in the training missions in the " " video game series .