Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is a 1981’s action-adventure film which is directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, and Philip Kaufman.
The film is based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, and it stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, and many more…
Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations- Where was Raiders of the Lost Arks filmed?
Raiders of the Lost Ark was conceived by George Lucas after he finished the film American Graffiti in 1973. But for some reason, Indiana Smith shelved the project to focus on making Star Wars (1977).
In May 1977, after filming was shelved, Lucas vacationed in Hawaii to escape the negative news surrounding Star Wars’ theatrical debut. Lucas wanted Philip Kaufman to direct the film, he still hoped that Kaufman would direct, but after a few months, it became clear that he could not participate, after which Spielberg replaced him and directed the film.
This movie has been shot in many places including the USA (Hawaii), Tunisia in North Africa, La Rochelle in France, the UK (Elstree Studios, England) etc. Principal photography and shooting of this comedy film began on 23 June 1980 and was completed on 4 September 1980.
Here is a guide to all the locations of Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations:
Are you one of those who loves to discover the filming locations of your favorite Movies or TV Series? This is the right place for you to check the filming locations for various movies and tv series. In the below article, we will see the different places where the film was filmed.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations in Africa
Africa is a Continent it is the second largest and most populous continent in the world after Asia. The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country located in Africa. It is a part of the Maghreb region of Africa. Tunisia served as the city of Cairo in the film. The shooting of this film in Tunisia has also been done in the following places-
| Main Filming Location | Where is Located |
| Sidi Bouhlel | Hiking area in Tozeur, Tunisia Address: 27MJ+CRC, Bouhlel Sdada, Tunisia |
| Kairouan | City in Tunisia |
| Tozeur | City in Tunisia |
| Sousse | City in Tunisia |
| Sedalia | Tunisia |
Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations in the USA
The United States is a Country in North America and Washington, D.C. is the capital of the USA, Many locations in the USA were selected for the filming of this movie. You can see many locations in the USA in the background of the movie.
University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, USA
Address: 3601 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95211, United States
Stockton is a City which is located on the San Joaquin River, in Central Valley, California. The University of the Pacific is a private Methodist-affiliated university with its main campus in Stockton, California, and the graduate campus in San Francisco, The scene outside Barnet College featured in this film was shot here.
This film has also been shot on 2531 Square Feet single-family home is a 4 beds, 3 baths property 38 Alder Avenue, which is situated in San Anselmo, California, USA.
Kaua’i, Hawaii, USA
Hawaii is a state in the western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean, about 3,200 km from the US mainland. Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and is on the south shore island of Oahu, and is also the gateway to the American island chain. The film was primarily shot in Kaua’i, Hawaii which is an Island in Hawaii.
San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, California, USA
Address: 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
San Francisco, formally located in northern California, The place is formally a major commercial, cultural, and financial center of the state of California. San Francisco is also one of the selected locations for the filming of this series.
San Francisco is a City hall in San Francisco, California served as a filming location. Here’s where the scene from the movie was shot when Washington DC: Indy leaves the Capitol with Marion.
Yuma, Arizona, USA
Arizona is the Biggest city and its capital is Phoenix. Arizona is popular for the Grand Canyon, a mile-deep gorge carved out by the Colorado River. You will see many of the Arizona locations in most of the scenes in this movie.
Yuma is a City which is located in southwest Arizona, it is home to the preserved cells and guard towers of a Wild West-era prison, as well as beautiful views of the Colorado River from Yuma’s Territorial Prison State Historic Park. This film has also been shot on Arizona’s Palm Canyon Trail, Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Washington Monument – 15th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Address: 2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20024, United States
Washington Monument – 15th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, is a Monument in Washington, D.C., United States, It is an obelisk-shaped building located on the National Mall in DC and was built to commemorate George Washington, the founding father of the United States of America. The stock footage of the film has been taken from this place only.
Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA
Washington, DC is the Capital of the USA. It is a compact city located on the banks of the Potomac River on the border of the states of Maryland and Virginia and includes many large and well-known buildings such as the White House and the Supreme Court. Some Parts of the movie were shot in Washington.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations in the UK
England is a UK constituent country or we can also say that it is a part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales and Scotland, as well as the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea region of the Atlantic Ocean.
London is the capital of the United Kingdom and England and has a large population. London is situated on the banks of the River Thames in the southeast of the island of Great Britain. The location selected for the filming of this movie is the United Kingdom in the continent of Europe.
This film has been shot in many places in the United Kingdom (UK), for whose information you can read the article below-
Rickmansworth Masonic School for Girls, Chorleywood Road, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Address: Rickmansworth Park, Rickmansworth WD3 4HF, United Kingdom
It is a private school in Rickmansworth, England, with day and boarding pupils and was established in the year 1788 with the aim of taking care of the daughters of poor masons. This school has been used as the interior of Barnet College in the film.
Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Address: Elstree and Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
Elstree Studios is a well-known name referring to a number of existing and demolished British television studios located in or around the village of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire.
The film was shot in Bushey in addition to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, UK. Most of the film was recorded at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, UK, The film was shot on several stages at Elstree Studios, which are listed below-
| Stage of Elstree Studios | The movie scene was shot here |
| Stage 7, Elstree Studios | (interior of Imam’s house) |
| Stage 5, Elstree Studios | (map room; cabin of Bantu Wind) (demolished in 1991) |
| Stage 3, Elstree Studios | (Well of Souls) (demolished in 1989) |
| Stage 1, Elstree Studios | (interior of Marion’s tent; opening the ark) (demolished in 1989) |
| Stage 4, Elstree Studios | (Hovito Temple; interior) (demolished in 1989) |
| Stage 2, Elstree Studios | (interior of Raven’s Bar) (demolished in 1989) |
Raiders of the Lost Ark Filming Locations in France
France is a country located in Western Europe, apart from Europe, it is also spread in many other territories, Paris is its capital and it is also a member of the European Union. This is also one of the selected locations for the filming of this movie.
La Pallice, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, France
La Pallice is a commercial deepwater port located in La Rochelle, France. This place is also known as Grand Port Maritime de la Rochelle. The WW2 German submarine base scene featured in the film was recorded at this location
Raiders of the Lost Ark Overview
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is tasked by the US government with Discovering the Ark of the Covenant, Indiana Jones must discover the Ark of the Covenant before it’s too late and the Nazis unleash its sinister powers.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Official Trailer
American romantic comedy film Raiders of the Lost Ark was released on May 12, 2023, in the United States by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Pictures. Now, Raiders of the Lost Ark is also Available to Watch on Paramount+ or Amazon Prime. (External Link: IMDB)
What is the Filming Location of Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Raiders of the Lost Ark was Filmed in France, North Africa, USA, and on England, UK.
When was Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed?
Raiders of the Lost Ark filming started on 23 June 1980 to 4 September 1980.
Where can you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is Available to Watch on Paramount+ or Amazon Prime.