Ait Ben Haddou Day Trip

Across the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (2260m). Stopping along the way for photos and enjoying the panoramic views of High Atlas Mountains along with Berber villages, through kasbah telouet, is a Kasbah along the former route of the caravans from the Sahara over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. The kasbah was the seat of the El Glaoui family’s power, thus sometimes also called the Palace of Glaoui, The passage of the merchant caravans, which connected the desert with the large cities situated on the other side of the Atlas, and the proximity of the salt mines, made the wealth of the Pashas inhabiting Telouet.

Through the ounila valley , the Ounila river has transformed the landscape. A rich variety of green crops line the valley floor, contrasting with the rusty red rock of the canyon-like walls,we arrive to ksar ait ben haddou (the UNESCO World Heritage Centre where movies such as Gladiator and Jesus of Nazareth were filmed).

The ksar, a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, is a traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses crowd together within the defensive walls, which are reinforced by corner towers. Ait-Ben-Haddou, in Ouarzazate province, is a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco.