From a picturesque desert village to large movie studios, cinema buffs will love visiting this part of Morocco. The sandcastle-like heritage town of Ait Ben Haddou is perfectly placed on a hill, almost as if it was purpose-built for Hollywood. Keeping with the theme, traditional movie studios can be found nearby in the city of Ouarzazate. This is a unique part of Morocco and one you won’t want to miss.
Ait Ben Haddou
Looking from a distance we can barely see the earthen clay homes of Ait Ben Haddou against the sand-coloured desert landscape. Ochre-coloured buildings cover the slopes of a small hill as if hiding in plain sight. If the mostly abandoned 11th century town looks familiar, that’s because Ait Ben Haddou was the location for many films and TV shows including; Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Jesus of Nazareth and Game of Thrones.
Note – It is also spelled Aït Benhaddou.
The historic village is a ksar, meaning there is not one, but several kasbahs within its fortified walls. Kasbahs in this part of Morocco are not fortresses as in other parts of the country. Here, they are more like mansions and were usually built on trade routes. The village as well as Ouarzazate lie in the Valley of A Thousand Kasbahs.
Ait Ben Haddou was once a flourishing town on an important camel caravan route between Sudan and the Imperial cities of Marrakesh, Fez and Meknes. The entire village was built using earthen construction and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was likely an Amazigh (Berber) settlement on this site before the fortification walls were erected.
The Ounila River separates this heritage town from the newer city, and there are two ways to cross. A new sturdy bridge takes you to the main entrance. The other option is to walk across on piles of sandbags. Of course, we chose the sandbags.
Once inside the city, dirt lanes climb up through the village between humble mud homes and more elegant Kasbahs. Some were crumbling, while others looked to be well-maintained. Generations of families lived in Ait Ben Haddou until the 20th century when most moved across the river to the new city. There are a few that still live in their ancestral homes in the old city, but not many.
These earthen clay homes take a lot of maintenance. The walls are built using mud bricks made from soil, earth, rocks, manure and hay. Once shaped, bricks are laid out to bake in the hot desert sun. Every year homeowners must repair cracks and worn areas on their walls. We have seen several examples of what happens when these homes are left to the elements. But we also saw many that are hundreds of years old and are still in good, livable condition.
Since there aren’t many permanent residents in the village anymore, many of the buildings are used for tourist shops selling clothing and knickknacks, others are cafes. Ait Ben Haddou is a favourite stop by tour companies, so vendors are well stocked. Even though tour buses make a stop here, only a few areas were busy. Not many people wandered far from the cafes and shops, leaving the rest of the fortified village quiet, perfect for exploring.
The trade route brought considerable wealth to some families. These wealthy merchants built mansions, called kasbahs. Many still show hints of their former glory with Amazigh geometric decorations on their towers and walls.
A couple of the kasbahs are open as family-run museums. We went inside a 5-story one. Although most of the rooms are very basic and don’t allude to the homeowners’ wealth, we did find one room on the terrace that still has original painted designs on the roof and walls.
The best part for us was to go to the rooftop terrace where we were able to get a better look at this village.
After wandering through the town, walk up to the top of a small hill to look down upon the flat, roofs. In one direction you see Ounila River. In the other, you can see the snow-covered High Atlas Mountains in the distance.
Tip – There are 4 entrances to Air Ben Haddou. Two are free, but two charge a fee that includes access to a Kasbah. The main entrance across from the bridge is free. The entrance above the sandbags charges a fee, but you can view the kasbah.
Getting to Ait Ben Haddou
Most who visit are on a tour from Marrakesh, 185 km away (3 hours). The town though, is very easy to visit on your own. The nearest city, Ouarzazate, is only 30 km away. A good highway drives between them if you have your own car. Otherwise, Grand Taxis (share-taxis) leave from Place des Grand Taxis in the north end of the city. You can find it on Google Maps (must write in French) near the Supratours station. Taxis from this station only travel north of Ouarzazate. There is another Grand Taxi station near the main square and CTM bus station. Do not go there for Ait Ben Haddou.
You can find Ouarzazate in the lower section of the map below. Ait Ben Haddou is only 30 km northwest of Ouarzazate. Click on the image to be directed to an interactive map.
Ouarzazate
We expected Ouarzazate to be much like Tinghir since they have similar desert locations. As soon as we arrived, it was easy to see that Ouarzazate is much more prosperous. This is likely due to the proximity to the UNESCO site, Ait Ben Haddou, and also from the movie studios nearby.
Atlas Studios
The most popular sites in town are its movie studios. Atlas Studios was first used for the 1980s movie Jewel of the Nile. Since then, it has been used for many international movies and TV shows. The lot is the largest in the world by square footage, but there is plenty of unused space.
What we found most interesting was to walk from room to room and be on a completely different set. A doorway is all that separates Luxor, for the movie Cleopatra, from a Yemen prison used in Prison Break, a courtyard from Gladiator and the desert in Wheel of Time. Many sets were just fronts, held up by bamboo scaffolding on the back.
Scattered in the yard were many props from the movies, including the plane from Jewel of the Nile, chariots from Gladiator and Babel, as well as a bus from Prison Break.
Entry tickets include a guided tour, but the guides will tell you their only pay is tips.
Getting to Atlas Studios
Located only 4 km from Ouarzazate, you can reach Atlas Studios by Petite taxi. If you’re doing it like we did, you can take a Grand Taxi to Ait Ben Haddou and then on the way back get dropped off at Atlas Studios. After our studio tour, we walked back up the driveway to the main road and waved down a taxi.
Kasbah Taourirt
Located on the eastern edge of Ouarzazate, is Kasbah Taourirt. It was built in the 17th century but remodelled in the 19th century by the wealthy Glaoui family. Glaoui was a Pasha of Marrakesh, a high-ranking political leader under French rule. He became a successful trader and landowner. The family owned a number of kasbahs in this region, including the main one in Tinghir.
This kasbah is the family’s largest and is said to be an excellent example of Amazigh (Berber) architecture. Some of this style can be seen on the geometric patterns on the outer walls.
The complex was damaged in the 2023 earthquake, so we weren’t able to visit much of its interior. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but since a large area was closed, it’s difficult to see how it made this elite list.
The complex is enclosed by a compressed mud and brick walls with many watchtowers around its periphery. Today, it is mostly a shell with plain rooms with little decoration.
Entry fee is low, but there’s really nothing to see inside.
The streets around the Kasbah are more interesting with old mud houses crammed into tight alleys. We enjoyed wandering between these homes, wondering what life would be like for the people who lived there.
Bet Knesset Synagogue
In this same neighbourhood is the 500-year-old Bet Knesset Synagogue, built and used by Berber Jews. Today the synagogue and the Rabbi’s house are the setting for a locally run museum. Jews migrated to Morocco hundreds of years ago and lived side by side with the Berber Muslims for generations. Locally they are referred to as Berber Jews. They left in 1948 when Israel was established.
It is an odd museum. Every inch of this 4-story building is filled with possessions left in Ouarzazate by Jewish residents. There are pots, candles, jewelry, rugs and artwork piled on top of each other. It looked more like a disorganized storeroom or a hoarder’s residence than a museum. On the shelves were several old Torahs and Qurans. We found a Torah from the 7th century and a Quran that is over 200 years old. These should probably be under glass, but they are just sitting out on a shelf, collecting dust.
Entry – The house and Synagogue are owned and managed by a local family and one of their sons was our guide. He is very knowledgeable about the Jewish history in Ouarzazate and the religious artefacts in the House. Entry fee is by donation.
The rest of the city is rather strange. There are affluent neighbourhoods with lovely buildings and hotels built in the traditional Amazigh style. Around them are wide, palm-lined avenues. The odd part is that there is barely any traffic requiring these wide streets. It’s almost as if they thought Hollywood would move in but, it didn’t. Around the edge of these wealthy areas are several run-down neighborhoods.
How to get to Ouarzazate
Located on the Saharan side of the High Alas Mountains, Ouarzazate can be reached from Marrakesh (200 km) and Tinghir (175 km) by CTM buses or from Merzouga (360 km) by Supratours. It would also be possible to drive as the highways are in good condition.
Where to stay in Ouarzazate
There is no typical medina in Ouarzazate. Where you stay will depend on your preferred mode of transportation (CTM, Supratours, Grand Taxi etc). Most restaurants are in Al-Mouahidine Square or nearby along Mohamed V Avenue. Petite taxis are very cheap to get across the city if needed.
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Coming Next – The Beautiful Buildings In Marrakesh
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