Jedha City Jedha City , also known as the Holy City , NiJedha or simply Jedha , was an ancient walled city located on the desert moon of Jedha . In the city was the ancient Temple of the Kyber , a great temple held sacred by those who followed the teachings of the Church of the Force . For some time before the Battle of Yavin , the Galactic Empire had occupied the city , an action that was met with firm resistance by Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans . Jedha City was destroyed by a single - reactor superlaser blast from the newly - operational Death Star . Description . Jedha was an ancient city located on the cold , desert Mid Rim moon of Jedha . Standing atop a rocky mesa , the city was surrounded by a large wall and contained various temples and adorned buildings . The city was divided into two sections by a Division Wall , one section was known as the Old City and the other known as the New City , though even the New City was well over 5000 years old . The most notable structure in the Holy City was the ancient Temple of the Kyber — a great temple protruding high above the city wall that was held sacred by those who followed the teachings of the Church of the Force . Considered a holy site for followers of the mystical energy field known as the Force , the Holy City ' s streets were filled with priest s , scholar s , and holy men and women , many of them pilgrims , who could be recognized by their distinctive and often ornate robes . History . Sometime before the Battle of Scarif , Jedha City , along with the rest of the moon , was occupied by the Galactic Empire , with Imperial stormtrooper s , TX - 225 GAVw " Occupier " combat assault tank s , TIE / ln space superiority starfighter s , cargo shuttles and an " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer being deployed to the city . However , the occupation was met with firm resistance by rebel extremist Saw Gerrera — leader of the Partisans — who coordinated the insurgency from his hideout . During the Alliance to Restore the Republic ' s mission to find the location of Imperial scientist Galen Erso , Captain Cassian Andor , Jyn Erso , and reprogrammed Imperial KX - series security droid K - 2SO traveled to the Holy City to meet with Gerrera . While there , the trio became involved in a firefight with Imperial and Partisan forces . Hours later , all Imperial forces were ordered to withdraw from the city immediately . Unknown to many of them , Director Orson Krennic and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin had decided to test the capability of the Empire ' s new superweapon - equipped battle station , the Death Star , by firing its superlaser at the city using a single - reactor ignition . The test was a success , resulting in the complete destruction of the Holy City and its inhabitants , as well as the surrounding area . In order to prevent the public from finding out about the weapon and Jedha City ' s destruction , the event was labeled by the Empire as a mining catastrophe . The act of destroying the holy city also had a secondary effect ; not only had it demonstrated to Tarkin and the Empire that the Death Star project had been a success , it also severed what was virtually the last connection the wider galaxy had to the Jedi and to the Force , a major blow to the spirituality of the galaxy . Behind the scenes . Jedha City is a location created and developed for the 2016 " Star Wars " anthology film , " " . The city was inspired by real life such as and and has influences with its narrow market alleyways , desert sands , and . It is also partly inspired by , a city situated on the and usually referred to as Jerusalem of Europe , due to its multicultural nature . Jedha City also bears striking similarity with the Jewish fortress - city of . First footage of the holy city was released with the teaser trailer for " Rogue One : A Star Wars Story " on April 7 , 2016 . The city was first identified as the holy city in " " , a reference book released on November 3 , 2016 .