Description of the attraction
Ksar Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco is a walled city erected in the middle of the desert that looks like a fairytale mirage. This fortified man-made city has been standing on a hillside under the rays of the scorching sun for ten centuries, surrounded by endless sands.
Ksar Ait-Ben-Haddou was built in the XI century. as a fortified point, which was supposed to guard the caravans passing from the imperial city of Marrakech to the city of Timbuktu. Behind the fortified walls of the fortress, travelers exhausted by the desert stopped to rest and spend the night. Here they could always replenish food and water supplies, and also take experienced guides with them on the road.
After the trans-Saharan trade lost its importance and diminished significantly, Ksar Ait-Ben-Haddou gradually fell into decay, after which the population gradually moved to a new village, which is located on the right bank of the Ouarzazate. Until 1990, the city was a ruin, at that time no more than a dozen families lived here.
Such structures, built in the traditions of Moroccan architecture, are not uncommon in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, but none of them can be compared with the scale and beauty of the legendary Ait Ben Haddou. The picturesque ancient city is made up of dozens of clay fortresses. The Kasbahs and their towers were skillfully decorated with original openwork ornaments. Narrow streets run through many round arches between the buildings, creating an intricate labyrinth of medina. On the slopes, the streets turn into beautiful multi-tiered terraces formed by flat roofs of dwellings.
Filmmakers have long used Ksar Ait-Ben-Haddou as a filmmaking location. Such famous films as: "Alexander" (2004), "Gladiator" (2000), "The Mummy" (1999) and The Pearl of the Nile (1985), etc. were shot here.
In recent years, restoration work has been carried out in the ancient city, thanks to which the city has become a popular tourist center.
