Maps of Movies

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Where Zero Dark Thirty says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The Pakistani streets and the Abbottabad compound were not in Pakistan: India and a copy built in Jordan stood in for them.

Scenes and places

The black site interrogations (2003)

Maya, newly posted to Pakistan, sits in on the interrogation of a detainee linked to the 9/11 hijackers. From his answers she learns the name of bin Laden's personal courier, the lead she will follow for years.

Set in CIA black site (location not given) — A secret CIA detention site where Maya and Dan question detainees in 2003 and again in 2005.

A secret detention site; the film does not name where it is.

The hotel in Islamabad

Back in Pakistan, Maya goes to a hotel to meet fellow officers for a drink. A bomb goes off, and the danger she works in becomes personal.

Set in Marriott Hotel, Islamabad — The Islamabad hotel where Maya goes to meet fellow CIA officers for a drink. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A hotel in the Pakistani capital, the kind of place where foreigners gather.

The meeting at the base (2009)

In 2009 a high-ranking Jordanian doctor offers to spy for the US, and Maya's friend Jessica travels to a base in Afghanistan to meet him. The whole team is betting on what he can deliver.

Set in US base in Afghanistan (location not given) — A US base in Afghanistan where Jessica goes to meet a Jordanian doctor highly placed in al-Qaeda.

A US military base in Afghanistan; the film does not name which one.

The streets of Pakistan, filmed in India (2010)

Maya's team follows the courier's phone calls and his vehicle through crowded Pakistani streets. Each step narrows the search toward one city.

Set in Pakistani city streets (Lahore, Abbottabad) — The crowded streets where Maya's team traces the courier's number and vehicle toward Abbottabad.

Pakistani streets rebuilt on Indian soil.

Filmed at Mani Majra, Chandigarh — Parts of the film were shot here; parts of Chandigarh were made to look like Lahore and Abbottabad. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh — Shooting also took place on this campus; which scene was filmed here is not stated. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The meeting at CIA headquarters

Recalled to Washington after an attack on her, Maya must convince senior officers that a compound in Pakistan is worth acting on. She is far more certain than anyone else in the room.

Set in CIA headquarters, Langley — The CIA's headquarters, where Maya makes her case after being recalled to Washington. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Virginia.

The compound under watch

The CIA watches the traced compound but cannot confirm who lives inside. Maya argues it is worth acting on regardless.

Set in Abbottabad compound, Pakistan — The large walled compound in Abbottabad that the CIA places under surveillance. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A city in northern Pakistan; the coordinates are for the city, not the compound.

Night raid on the compound (2011)

Two helicopters carry SEAL Team Six and CIA officers from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Maya waits on the ground side of the operation while the minutes run out.

Set in Abbottabad compound, Pakistan — The compound that is raided on the night of May 2, 2011. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The same compound as the surveillance scenes, now at night.

The base at Jalalabad (2011)

At the base in Jalalabad, Maya waits for news from the operation. Everything she has worked on for years comes down to what the team brings back.

Set in US base, Jalalabad, Afghanistan — The US base in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, where the helicopters return and Maya waits.

A US base in eastern Afghanistan.

Filmed at Gdańsk, Poland — A scene of CIA clandestine operations Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Maya — A CIA analyst assigned to find al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Questions answered on the map

• Where were the streets of Pakistan in Zero Dark Thirty really filmed?
• Where was the Abbottabad compound in Zero Dark Thirty really built?