Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou | 4K | UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou

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.

The ksar's structures are made entirely out of rammed earth, adobe, clay bricks, and wood.

Today, the ksar itself is only sparsely inhabited by several families.[3] The depopulation over time is a result of the valley's loss of strategic importance in the 20th century. Most local inhabitants now live in modern dwellings in the village on the other side of the river, and make a living off agriculture and especially off the tourist trade.[3][4] In 2011 a new pedestrian bridge was completed linking the old ksar with the modern village, with the aim of making the ksar more accessible and to potentially encourage inhabitants to move back into its historic houses.

The ksar has been significantly restored in modern times, thanks in part to its use as a Hollywood filming location and to its inscription on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1987.

A large number of films shot in Morocco have used Aït Benhaddou as a location, including: the TV series Game of Thrones and…

• Sodom and Gomorrah (1963)
• Oedipus Rex (1967)
• The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
• The Message (1976)
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
• Time Bandits (1981)
• Marco Polo (1982)
• The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
• The Sheltering Sky (1990)
• Kundun (1997)
• The Mummy (1999)
• Gladiator (2000) [12]
• Alexander (2004)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Babel (2006)
• One Night with the King (2006)
• Prince of Persia (2010)
• Son of God (2014)
• Queen of the Desert (2015)
• A Life On Our Planet (2020)

Valley of Roses

The Valley of Roses sits at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, where the mountains meet the Dadès Valley.

Each April and May the valley is flooded with local women picking roses to be shipped off to factories in nearby Kalaat. Here they are turned into everything from shampoo to hand creams; cure-alls and nasal decongestants.

It takes a whopping 4 tons of roses to make 1 litre of rose oil. It’s well worth taking the time to stop and smell the roses.

Argal oil

Argan oil is referred to as the “liquid gold” of Morocco because it is so rare. The delicate trees it comes from only grow in a very specific microclimate of Morocco: the Sous Valley south and east of Essaouira.

Many women’s cooperatives have sprung up in the Sous Valley region to fulfill the high demand for the precious oil. These cooperatives encourage local women of the region to take part in every aspect of argan oil production and distribution.

To make argan oil for cosmetic use, harvesters wait until the fruits have fallen from the tree before they collect them, dry them out, remove the fleshy part, crack the kernels, and extract their oil. No part of the nut goes to waste; the soft pulp is used as animal feed and the shells are burned for fuel. If the kernels are roasted before being ground, a much darker, rich, nutty oil results. Culinary argan oil (which can help lower cholesterol and ease arthritis) is delicious in salad dressings, drizzled over grilled vegetables, and a must-have when preparing amlou.

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