At a glance · 5 reasons to go
Why Aït Benhaddou & Ouarzazate, Morocco.
Aït Benhaddou is a UNESCO World Heritage ksar — a cluster of earthen kasbahs on the old salt-and-gold caravan route — and one of the most photographed sights in Morocco.
Ouarzazate is “Ouallywood”: Atlas Film Studios has hosted Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Mummy, and Game of Thrones (Yunkai/Pentos).
It’s the natural overnight midpoint of the Marrakech-to-Sahara overland route, crossing the dramatic Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m).
Cross the (usually shallow) Ounila River and climb the ksar at golden hour for the view filmmakers chase.
The earthen architecture — pisé and adobe — is a living lesson in pre-Saharan building; a local guide brings the caravan history alive.
Read the full story
On the old caravan road between Marrakech and the Sahara, Aït Benhaddou is the most spectacular ksar in Morocco — a hillside of fortified earthen kasbahs that has stood since the 17th century and earned UNESCO World Heritage status. Nearby Ouarzazate, nicknamed “Ouallywood,” is home to Atlas Film Studios; together they have stood in for ancient Rome, Egypt and the fictional worlds of countless films. It is the dramatic midpoint of the classic overland journey across the High Atlas to the dunes.
Read this before you go
安全情報
Safety Overview
Aït Benhaddou & Ouarzazate, Morocco
Aït Benhaddou and Ouarzazate are safe, welcoming and tourism-focused; the real cautions are the long mountain-pass drive (Tizi n’Tichka), high-desert sun and heat, cold nights, and the remoteness from advanced medical care.
Emergency Contacts — Save These Now
- Police
- 19 (urban) · 177 Gendarmerie (rural)
- Medical
- 15 (SAMU)
Reviewed: 2026-05-30
If It’s Safe Travel… Travel Well.
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