OUARZAZATE , AIT-BEN-HADDOU
OUARZAZATE Set in a stunning location between the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and the Sahara, Ouarzazate is a Berber town and the first stop for travellers wishing to venture into the Moroccan desert or explore the fortified town of Ait Ben Haddou. An important trading centre for centuries, Ouarzazate grew rapidly during the years of French rule.A stroll through the Taourirt kasbah reveals its ancient charms, but much of the appeal of a trip to Ouarzazate lies in its accessibility to the Sahara, making it an excellent starting point for a series of desert adventures. Camel caravans leave Ouarzazate for destinations as far away as Timbuktu in Mali.
Since the departure of the French in the 1950s, Ouarzazate has been the setting for a number of successful films, and a tour of the Atlas studios takes in the sets of films such as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Film buffs can even explore the mysterious abandoned set of the blockbuster The Hill Has Eyes, which sits near the town, complete with a spooky abandoned petrol station.
The quieter side of Ouarzazate includes a number of oases, such as the Flint oasis, where small villages are nestled among lush palm trees, and the Skoura oasis, known as 'the oasis of 1000 palm trees'.
Ouarzazate has many places to stay, as well as cafes and restaurants serving the best of Berber cuisine, although many visitors to Ouarzazate choose to join camel treks through the desert to sleep under the stars somewhere in the Sahara. Ouarzazate, the "gateway to the desert", is an essential stop on any trip to Morocco.
AIT-BEN-HADDOU
This magnificent city of clay and stone is considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco. This ancient kasbah is a fortified Berber town whose purpose was to protect houses, crops and palm groves from possible invasions. There are several such towns throughout the country, but Aït-ben-Haddou is currently one of the best preserved. Located in the province of Ouarzazate, known as Morocco's Hollywood, this UNESCO World Heritage town has been the setting for films such as Gladiator, The Mummy and Alexander. This impressive building is still inhabited by a few families who live alongside the region's mass tourism, offering visitors some of Morocco's most beautiful handicrafts.
OUARZAZATE Set in a stunning location between the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and the Sahara, Ouarzazate is a Berber town and the first stop for travellers wishing to venture into the Moroccan desert or explore the fortified town of Ait Ben Haddou. An important trading centre for centuries, Ouarzazate grew rapidly during the years of French rule.A stroll through the Taourirt kasbah reveals its ancient charms, but much of the appeal of a trip to Ouarzazate lies in its accessibility to the Sahara, making it an excellent starting point for a series of desert adventures. Camel caravans leave Ouarzazate for destinations as far away as Timbuktu in Mali.
Since the departure of the French in the 1950s, Ouarzazate has been the setting for a number of successful films, and a tour of the Atlas studios takes in the sets of films such as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Film buffs can even explore the mysterious abandoned set of the blockbuster The Hill Has Eyes, which sits near the town, complete with a spooky abandoned petrol station.
The quieter side of Ouarzazate includes a number of oases, such as the Flint oasis, where small villages are nestled among lush palm trees, and the Skoura oasis, known as 'the oasis of 1000 palm trees'.
Ouarzazate has many places to stay, as well as cafes and restaurants serving the best of Berber cuisine, although many visitors to Ouarzazate choose to join camel treks through the desert to sleep under the stars somewhere in the Sahara. Ouarzazate, the "gateway to the desert", is an essential stop on any trip to Morocco.
AIT-BEN-HADDOU
This magnificent city of clay and stone is considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco. This ancient kasbah is a fortified Berber town whose purpose was to protect houses, crops and palm groves from possible invasions. There are several such towns throughout the country, but Aït-ben-Haddou is currently one of the best preserved. Located in the province of Ouarzazate, known as Morocco's Hollywood, this UNESCO World Heritage town has been the setting for films such as Gladiator, The Mummy and Alexander. This impressive building is still inhabited by a few families who live alongside the region's mass tourism, offering visitors some of Morocco's most beautiful handicrafts.
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