In West Germany and other countries the film was released under titles which mean translated back "The Desert of the Tatars". Obviously the editors in these countries missed that the original title does not refer to the actual Tatarian people but to the ancient Greek-Roman mythological "Tartars" (from the ancient Greek word "tartaros"). So "Tartars" in this context is not an outdated spelling of "Tatars", but an intended metaphor referring to the historical idea, that there are a people "coming from hell".
It was filmed in Arg-e Bam, Iran, and was released on 29 October 1976 in Italy. It was shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
The story of a fortress guarded by soldiers who spend endless days waiting for enemies who never seem to arrive was reportedly inspired by author Dino Buzzati's career as a journalist, in which Buzzati and his colleagues were always hoping in vain for a huge scoop.
Laurence Olivier was originally sought for the Vittorio Gassman part.