Like A Mirage Inward The Desert: Aїt Benhaddou

For many people the highlight of a see to Kingdom of Morocco is a trip to the Sahara, the biggest desert on Earth together with a natural habitat that every traveller wants to run across in ane trial inward his life. I was a fleck dissimilar from the others who only desire to run across the dunes, nevertheless. I hoped to run across the desert of course, but I knew that I wanted to explore all of this fascinating portion of North Africa, together with peculiarly to run across alongside my ain eyes that legendary citadel inward the desert that seems to live made out of sand: Aїt Benhaddou. It's been used in dozens of movies: whenever they demand an exotic city inward the desert that barely seems real, they utilisation it. It had been a dream of mine for some fourth dimension to see it, together with so it was real high on my listing of places to run across inward Morocco.

Ait Benhaddou

 

Because the actual sand dunes are real far from Marrakesh - about 350 kilometres to Zagora together with 550 kilometres to Merzouga - the tours from this urban total unremarkably offering multi-day trips to the pre-Saharan region, alongside visits to kasbahs, gorges and Berber villages, as good as the classic camel ride  together with campsite nighttime inward the desert. An choice is to receive got a double-decker to Ouarzazate together with and then explore from at that spot hiring a taxi or a someone car, but seen the prices of the small-group tours I decided to bring together one. In this way, I also made many novel friends from all over the world!

 

I decided to bring together a three-day two-night trip to Merzouga, the dunes unopen to the border alongside People's Democratic Republic of Algeria that are famous for their beauty. On the way, nosotros would live stopping at Aїt Benhaddou. The trip was real cheap, 850 dirhams (74€) for transportation, accommodation, all the dinners together with breakfasts included, addition the camel ride together with the guided tour of Aїt Benhaddou. As alongside everything inward Morocco, prices tin change, together with you lot must live clever (or lucky!) to acquire a practiced bargain. Not everything inward this tour was perfect (more of this soon), but if I hold off dorsum together with intend of how piffling I paid for iii days of risk and lots of bucket listing filling, I don't mind.

Camel ride at sunset

The grouping wasn't also big, thirteen people, together with it couldn't receive got been to a greater extent than varied: nosotros were all young, but from many dissimilar countries, including Brazil, Sweden together with France. The drive from Marrakesh was real interesting, non to cite scenic: the landscape kept changing, from fertile valleys to mountains and cultivated terraces. For the get-go 2 hours  or so of the trip, the landscape reminded me of Crete: the somehow-barren mountains, the whitewashed buildings alongside apartment roofs, together with the relaxed atmosphere were all reminiscent of that European island.

We drove through the Atlas Mountains, ane of the most of import mount chains inward North Africa, until we reached more than 2,000 metres above the ocean level. The Atlas mountains cut all of Morocco, together with at that spot is snowfall at that spot inward the winter. We also stopped at a few viewpoints, where I was surprised to run across earthenware utensils together with souvenirs beingness sold past times the guard rail. The vendors hither weren't pushy, but rather hoping to sell something.

Selling earthenware past times the guardrail

Just earlier lunchtime nosotros reached our get-go stop, the UNESCO-listed heritage site of Aїt Benhaddou. As before long as nosotros got off the double-decker nosotros were met past times our guide, dressed inward Touareg clothes, with a blueish turban together with a issue white tunic. These were probably for the show, rather than his everyday clothes. His shout was Mohamed, together with I was astonished when he addressed me inward real practiced Italian, telling me near ane of his friends who immediately lives inward Trento. Here I was inward the middle of nowhere, at the border of the Sahara desert, together with my guide could beak Italian! I wondered if Mohamed was from this region, or if he had arrived hither from some other purpose of Kingdom of Morocco to operate inward the tourism industry.

He led us through the alleys of the village. The buildings were made of earth together with straw, piece carpets together with other colourful souvenirs where hanging from the walls. The lite was incredible, so brilliant together with full! No wonder this location has been used for many movies together with TV shows, including an episode of "Game of Thrones".

Our guide leading us through the streets of Ait Benhaddou

I really couldn't believe that I was lastly there! I had seen the pictures of this place countless times, but from the glossed page of a magazine it looked unreal, so legendary together with mythical, tucked as it is at the border of the Sahara desert, inward a remote corner of Morocco. Places similar Machu Picchu inward Republic of Peru or Petra inward Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan tin brand you lot dubiety that they're real. And yet I was there, sweating profusely, but staring at it.



In front end of Ait Benhaddou

We arrived at the riverbed, where you lot bask a neat stance of the ksar. It was spring, together with the river was dry, but the guide pointed at a pedestrian distich - honestly a rather ugly one - that connects the citadel to the modern village, telling us that it is non ever so, together with that inward other seasons the distich is real much needed. UNESCO strongly encouraged the regime to cook it because it makes it easier for villagers to accomplish the houses situated within the fortifications, together with so also to alive or carry materials.

There is no entrance fee to run across the ksar of Aїt Benhaddou, fifty-fifty though at a certainly shout for the guide mentioned 25 dirhams that would acquire to the restoration of the place. Some of us didn't manus inward the money, together with they didn't seem to care. I silent wonder if that was to a greater extent than of a tip than a existent entrance fee.

Another stunning painting of Ait Benhaddou

The words ksar together with kasbah are sometimes used interchangeably, but technically a kasbah  is a palace-fortress, often inhabited by the ruling family, piece a ksar (same rootage as the discussion alcázar inward Spanish) is the fortified hamlet growing around it, together with it oftentimes includes many kasbahs. Kasbahs together with ksour (the plural shape of ksar!) are placed on the caravan routes betwixt the Sahara desert and Marrakesh. They are made of earth together with straw, alongside towers together with a few windows. The walls are oftentimes decorated alongside elementary but beautiful patterns. Aїt Benhaddou is solely the most impressive together with famous event of this sort of southern Moroccan architecture, but at that spot are dozens inward this region. The oldest among the buildings inward Aїt Benhaddou "only" dates dorsum to the 17th century, but this vogue of architecture is much older, in all likelihood going dorsum to the eighth century.



Another particular of the ksar

I had ever wondered what at that spot is within this mythical citadel: if at that spot were houses together with a existent town, if people silent lived there, together with what their daily routine consisted of. As nosotros learned during our tour, at that spot is non much within the fortified walls of Aїt Benhaddou. The streets of the citadel are to a greater extent than oftentimes than non bare together with so are the earthen buildings. Many areas appear to live inward demand of restoration, because unfortunately every fourth dimension it rains the earthen buildings are damaged. UNESCO protects this site, but - at to the lowest degree according to our guide - it to a greater extent than oftentimes than non cares near the outer perimeter together with the houses that hold off upon the lanes. Nowadays solely a few families alive within the historical citadel of Aїt Benhaddou, without electricity or running hot water. Most of the people receive got moved to the hamlet on the other side of the river.
 

Girls inward Ait Benhaddou


You tin silent run across the house where they built the arena for "The Gladiator". Did they actually intend they could acquire away alongside a Roman arena inward the middle of the desert, when the Romans didn't fifty-fifty reach the desert in the get-go place? I demand to rewatch that moving painting together with express joy my arse off that part!

We all climbed to the top of the citadel, from where you lot tin bask a 360° stance of the surrounding semi-desertic landscape, alongside lots of palm trees. It was hither that nosotros lost our guide! Seriously, nosotros climbed dorsum downward together with nosotros couldn't run across him. We somehow managed to brand our means through this eating theater where manifestly every tour grouping was led to.

View from the top

Aїt Benhaddou is inward a stunning position, isolated together with genuinely inward the middle of nowhere. We passed past times many other buildings of this kind, similar the Taourirt Kasbah inward Ouarzazate, which was as beautiful. Unfortunately, adjacent to these real beautiful architectural masterpieces at that spot were oftentimes modern or run-down buildings that spoiled the landscape.

Taourirt Kasbah inward Ouarzazate

I am absolutely charmed past times the architecture of this purpose of Morocco. I kept staring at the buildings from the window of the mini-bus for the residue of the day (there was a lot of driving on that tour).



A corner of Ouarzazate

 For my trouble organization human relationship of the residue of the trip, you'll receive got to hold off until my adjacent post...

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