The Ksar of Ait Benhaddou

A small but vibrant city high up on Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate, in south-central Morocco, has long been called the “door to the desert”. It is also called the “Hollywood of Africa” because of the large number of films that have been shot here and the surrounding desert. Since at least the sixties, Hollywood directors have come here whenever they needed to shoot a Biblical movie or a movie set in the Middle East. The Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Babel (2006), and The Game of Thrones (2011-19), are just a few of the titles. Ouarzazate is also home to one of the largest movie studios in the world, Atlas Studios. Photo: Javarman | Dreamstime.com While the 322,000-square-feet filming location has everything from massive Egyptian tombs to giant prop jet planes to ruined castles, it is the natural setting that most directors are drawn to—the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou. Located along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, Aït Benhaddou is a historic ksar, or fortified village, with mud-brick houses crowded together and surrounded by high walls. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture. Perched on the slopes of a hill next to to the Ounila River, the village comprises of a collection of buildings of various sizes ranging from modest houses to tall structures with towers, all huddled together within a defensive wall that includes corner towers and a gate. Some of the buildings are decorated in their upper parts with geometric motifs. The village also has a number of public or community buildings such as a mosque, a caravanserai, a kasbah (castle-like fortification) and the Marabout of Sidi Ali or Amer. At the top of the hill, overlooking the ksar, are the remains of a large fortified granary.