Ark of the Covenant Cave
The Well of Souls at Tanis: the snake-filled resting place of the Ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark the Ark of the Covenant rests in the Well of Souls at Tanis, Egypt, where Nazi German forces are excavating in 1936. Jones and Sallah realize that the Nazis are digging in the wrong place, infiltrate the dig and use the medallion and a correctly sized staff of Ra to locate the well.
Quick Facts
- Film debut
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Key artifact housed
- The Ark of the Covenant
Lore & Background
They recover the Ark, a golden, intricately decorated chest, but Belloq and the Nazis discover them and seize it. Jones and Marion, whom Belloq has been holding captive, are sealed inside the well, but they escape, and Jones captures a truck carrying the Ark. The Ark is opened later, on an island in the Aegean Sea.
Reader's Guide
The Well of Souls scene was delayed by a lack of snakes: the crew had 500 to 600 snakes and some mechanical ones, but Spielberg wanted more, and handlers from around London and Europe produced between 6,000 and 10,000 in a few days; the cobras were kept behind plexiglas. Spielberg had a miniature set of the Well of Souls built to plan layouts and lighting, and the Tanis dig site was filmed in the Sahara near the Tozeur oasis in Tunisia.
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