Ait Ben Haddou is a ksar (fortified village) on the ancient caravan route that linked Sudan with Marrakech. I toyed with the idea that those camel caravan traders that passed through were the very same ones that stayed in the lodgings we were shown in the MARRAKECH SOUK. The thought of the trade-laden camels crossing the desert to the very same place on which I stood seemed impossibly romantic, but was quite probably fact.
Although we had seen the ksar from afar, this was our first view of it from the New Town side of the Maleh (Salted) River. We headed across the river with our guide for the ksar.
Most families live in the new town but a few still remain in the old. This house, close to the river, with easy access to water, was the only one we saw with a garden.
Since 1963 more than 16 films including, The Jewel of the Nile, Gladiator and The Mummy, have been shot using the beautiful walls of the ksar as a backdrop.
As I approached the young girl seated on the step that formed part of the path, she looked up from her sewing. With a look of recognition at my camera, she subtly looked back down at her work and posed, after which we exchanged smiles. But before I could show her the image, her mother came from the house and hurriedly motioned the girl back inside. Maybe my subject had dreams of starring in her own movie one day, but one thing is for sure – she was as happy posing for the photo as I was taking it.
The green of the river valley at Ait Ben Haddou is in stark contrast to any of the land that surrounded it. The abandoned building from which I first photographed the ksar (SEE POST 2 OF THE JOURNEY HERE) is located in the far right of the below photograph.
I suppose that the earth surrounds of the bushes in the photo below, help to contain the precious water around the plants.
On exiting the ksar, we were overtaken by this man on his horse. This was the best looking horse I had seen so far in Morocco – I wonder if it was a movie horse?
We had lunch on the terrace (top left of photo) of the La Rose du Sable hotel restaurant overlooking the swimming pool, seated beside two smartly dressed young men whom I took to be from the movie industry. Rates from $15/room. No Alcohol served. But we were not staying, we were headed for the Valley of the Roses and our night stop in the Dades Gorge.
Budget Travel Tip – If you are on a tight budget you can ask to sleep on the Terrace at the Hotel – $5/night.
Things to Know:
Ait Ben Haddou is 30 km north-west of Ouarzazate.
March to May and October to November are the best times to visit to avoid extreme temperatures.
The Scirocco is a hot desert wind that blows in summer and makes life pretty unbearable.
Earthen walls like those of Ait Ben Haddou can disintegrate after rain. (Our riad owner in Marrakech pointed out one house in the souk that had recently been purchased only to disintegrate after a sustained bout of rain). The decorative walls of the lower houses of the ksar are maintained by traditional methods under Unesco authenticity guidelines.
The old granary was situated on the hill top within the fortifications so that any marauders could not steal the grain, thereby starving the townspeople out.
50 km further on the road from Ait Ben Haddou, in a valley surrounded by palm, fig and olive trees is the kasbah Telouet, originally inhabited by Glaoui family, which is not under Unesco protection. Unfortunately our tour did not visit kasbah Telouet, but mention it if you are booking with the same tour operator as us (I will list it in the last post) and they may include it.
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I love this adventure of yours!
I’m assuming that there was not filming going on when you were there. The little girl looks so natural in her pose.
No Nancie, no filming, but we did get caught in a huge sand whirly wind entering the ksar. It was quite exciting – even the moroccans were hiding their faces and taking refuge up against things. Thankfully it did not last very long and we could continue up through the village. The little girl was a natural!
I’m loving this series on Morocco – but wondering how you would make out if you didn’t have a guide. The photo of the girl is wonderful!! (Pinned that one). I can’t imagine visiting in the heat of the summer.
Hi Leigh, We had a driver from Marrakech to the Sahara and Return. We could ask him questions, but I was never sure if he A) understood the question or B) was just telling me what either he or I wanted to hear. The guide that we had at Ait Ben Haddou was organized by the company. Our driver just said he is your guide. You can go through the ksar by yourself maybe paying a small fee to enter. Also you will get some unasked for helpers (boys) as guides, which you would have to give some money to. I have thought about doing the whole trip by ourselves now that I know what is entailed and I am sure we could do it, it would just be a case of having more time and organizing it as you go, catching buses and hiring individual drivers/guides as needed.
I SO want to go to Morocco to some less-visited places like this. Your pictures are all alluring, but the first is particularly stunning, as is the one of the young girl. Wow!
I am so glad we did this trip Vera, The young girl is one of my favourites as well. I love people photos.
I really like your photos of the ksar. And I think I’d be really ticked off if I bought a house only to have it disintegrate.
I agree! It would be horrible.
I havre often read about this town but have not visited so it was great to see it through your eyes. I love the carvings on the buildings. It’s incredible to think they can be washed away at any time.
Thanks Jenny, I felt so sorry for the people in Marrakech who lost their house.
What a fantastic tour you’ve been giving us! Love this series – beautiful shots.
Thanks Jackie, It seems like it has been going forever!
I love the photo with the little girl 🙂
Thanks Muza-chan, I love it too. I found it hard to get photos of people in Morocco.
The ksar looks absolutely incredible. Your journey and beautiful posts throughout Morocco have inspired me to move this up the travel list. No wonder this is a famous Hollywood backdrop. so scenic!
So glad we went!
Gosh, what an amazing place. The picture of the cactii even looks prickly, and I love the concentration on the young girl’s face.
Thanks Jo, Thank goodness there was one garden! Loved the little girl.
Beautiful, beatuiful shots!! I’m pretty sure we passed by this town on one of our bus trips from Oarzazate to Marrakech(I think) and I wanted to stop so badly. Unfortunately our bus didn’t stop there.
Beautiful, beatuiful shots!! I’m pretty sure we passed by this town on one of our bus trips from Oarzazate to
What a delightful little girl. I’m always hesitant to take people’s photos but she was a willing subject.
Your posts have made me want to pack a bag and just go! What a beautiful place, I love the buildings – hard to believe that they’ve been around for so long. I wonder how many of ours will be there for future generations to see how we lived.
I love these photos so much, Jan. 🙂 I’ve never been to this part of the world but I’ve heard so many stories that it has taken on a very romantic glow for me. 🙂
Travelling can be hard for women in Morocco, not that I had any trouble, probably because I am not blond, fairly old 🙁 and travelling with a man. But you can only take a country how you find it and we both had a wonderful time there. Certainly Ait Ben Haddou was romantic.
Thanks and hope you get there one day!