Ait-Ben-Haddou is a fortified village (or ‘ksar’) in the province of Ouarzazate, Morocco. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list – and had been on ours, too, for quite a few years, before we finally made it here as part of a two-week tour of the country.
We had expected a lot, but were still stunned by the other-worldly sight when we first set eyes on Ait-Ben-Haddou. The setting is absolutely superb and we must have simply stood there, on the other side of the river, staring at the scene in front of us for a good 10 minutes.
From the hill behind the village you get magnificent views of the mud-brick buildings and the surrounding countryside. The next two shots were taken from there.
Not surprisingly, Ait-Ben-Haddou has been chosen as a set for numerous films. If you look carefully at the two photos above, you will see a ‘gate’ by the river which is slightly different in colour to the other buildings. It was erected for the film ‘Jewel of the Nile’ and does not form part of the site.
There are many interesting angles from which you can take photos.
As the sun goes down, the colours change. Most of the day-visitors have left by then and in many parts of the site you will find yourself exploring on your own.
Our tour involved an overnight stay and we, therefore, had the opportunity to see Ait-Ben-Haddou in the morning sun, too. The photo below was literally taken from our breakfast table on the hotel terrace. I don’t remember the actual breakfast, but the view will stay in my mind for a long time.
As I said, quite a few films were shot here. Wikipedia has a list:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…t_A%C3%AFt_BenhaddouOuarzazate is the centre of Morocco’s film industry. We actually visited one of the studios – but Ait-Ben-Haddou is far more interesting.
Amazing! It looks like a movie set.
Great post about Morocco, one of the prettiest countries in North Africa!
Thanks a lot for your kind comment. You are right – Morocco is an interesting country with lots of fabulous sights.