🥇The ethereal Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou

Ait Ben haddou Kasbah

When you decide to travel to Morocco the place that should definitely be on your must-go-to list is Ait Ben Haddou. It’s much more than just a film set, though; it is a ksar, a fortified village whose history goes back almost a thousand years. This small village located 30 km from Ouarzazate, on the road to Marrakech. Thousands of these magical buildings are planted throughout Morocco, but in the South, they are not merely relics of the history, but living places that still shelter many families.
Aït Benhaddou was once a major stop along the caravan route between Marrakech and the Sahara. The striking visage of southern Moroccan architecture is thought to be 17th-century and contains a mosque, two cemeteries (Jewish and Muslim), a public square, and areas for threshing grain outside of the ramparts.

Ait ben Haddou Kasbha — Kasbah ait Ben Haddou. Ouarzazate

Their extraordinary and simple design has attracted visitors from around the world. The architecture expresses the simple spirit of the local people as well as the great aspirations of desert nobility. It is not only the remains of the ancient walled towns along the route that gives the region its charm, but also several that are still inhabited. Kasbahs, of the same design as ksars, often sit on rocky crags, fortified with walls that don’t hold the firmness they once did but still gaze over the land around them in every direction. What surprises most visitors is that despite their obvious design for defensive purposes, these buildings are generally beautiful, often with well-designed towers at each corner of the walls and decorated three-story buildings.

Although UNESCO’s classification of the Ait Benhaddou as a global heritage requires constant and careful protection from extinction and mutilation, the restoration process is unfortunately very slow, which is really sad. It probably has to do with the region’s lack of budget and the complexity of restoration, as the palace is mostly built with clay. That being said, Ait Benhaddou palace is still a magical place to visit. The surrealistic architecture and the beauty of the surrounding nature make it one of the best desert spots to visit in Morocco. Besides, the beauty of this site has been the décor for many internationally famous films and tv series, like Game of Thrones (If you are a fan of GOT you will recognize Ait Ben Haddou from the final scene of series three. (The series has used a number of locations around Morocco.), Laurence of Arabia, Gladiator, and so many other big blockbusters.

Why filming in Ait Ben Haddou:

Morocco offers the right look while also being stable and more open to films that are deemed too sensitive in other Middle Eastern countries. Morocco also has given producers a lot of incentives to film in the country and in return, the films generate revenue for the local economy.