Rising in tiers on a hillside above the Ounila river, the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou looks like a sandcastle that has been built with great care and left to dry in the sun. The walls are the colour of ripe apricots, the towers are crowned with zigzag decoration, and the whole village seems to grow out of the hill. Many people recognise it before they know its name, because it has appeared in dozens of films. But the real story is older and more interesting than any film set, and the place is worth a long visit, whether you come by coach, by bike or on foot.
A village on the caravan road
For centuries the ksar stood on one of the major trade routes in Africa. Caravans came north from the Sahara and the Sudan, bringing gold, salt, ivory and slaves, and travelled over the Atlas to reach Marrakech, the great market of the north. The route crossed the High Atlas through the Tizi n’Tichka pass, then descended through the valleys of the south, where travellers needed shelter, food, water and security. Fortified villages grew up along the way to provide them.
Aït Ben Haddou was one such place. The ksar, as the name for such a fortified village suggests, was a group of buildings protected by a wall and towers, within which families lived. The buildings visible today date mostly from the 17th century, although there are traditions that place the origin of the settlement much earlier, in the time of the Almoravids in the 11th century. The family name it carries, Ben Haddou, is that of a local lineage, and for centuries the village was an important stopping point for the caravan trade.
The position was well chosen. The hill gave a view of anyone approaching, the river provided water, and the surrounding land could be irrigated for crops. When the caravan routes declined in the 20th century, partly because of the changing patterns of trade, the ksar lost its role, and most of its inhabitants moved to a newer village on the far side of the river. Today only a handful of families still live inside the old walls.
How it was built
The ksar is built of earth. The method most used is pisé, in which damp clay is compacted between wooden frames to form thick walls, and adobe, in which clay mixed with straw is formed into bricks and dried in the sun. These materials are cheap, widely available and surprisingly strong. They also insulate extremely well: thick earth walls stay cool in summer and warm in winter, which is ideal in the climate of the pre-Saharan valleys.
The weakness of earth is water. Rain and flood slowly erode the surface, and so every building must be repaired regularly. This is why the ksar needs constant care. Local masons replaster the walls with a fresh layer of clay and straw, and in some places rebuild collapsed sections. It is a living tradition of building, and one of the reasons UNESCO listed the ksar in 1987 is that it is an outstanding example of this kind of earthen architecture in southern Morocco.
You will notice several features in the buildings. Tall, square towers at the corners provided defence and a look-out, and some are decorated with geometric patterns in relief, formed by pressing holes or ridges into the wet clay. The houses are tightly packed, with small windows facing outward and larger spaces opening onto interior courtyards, where the families lived. At the top of the hill stands an agadir, a collective granary, where the community stored its grain and other valuables. From there, the view takes in the whole valley.
The ksar in the movies
Aït Ben Haddou’s appearance on screen has made it famous worldwide. Because the village looks like something from a far older time, and because Ouarzazate, the nearby city, has developed a film industry with studios and experienced local crews, it has been used as a location for a long list of productions. Among them are Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Gladiator (2000) and the television series Game of Thrones, in which it appears as the city of Yunkai. The nearby Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate have built sets for many other productions.
This connection brings both benefits and challenges. Film work provides income to the local community, and fees for filming help pay for repairs. But it also means that the village is sometimes crowded with visitors who want to find the “film locations”. If you are interested in cinema, ask for the favourite spots, but give equal attention to the real life of the ksar, which is in many ways more interesting than the screen version.
Visiting the ksar
A visit to Aït Ben Haddou follows a simple pattern. You park or are dropped off in the newer village on the south bank of the river. You then cross the Ounila river, either on stepping stones or on the footbridge built for visitors, and enter the old village through one of its gates. From there a path leads up through narrow lanes, past shops and small galleries, to the summit with the agadir and a panoramic view.
Some practical suggestions:
- Go early or late. The ksar is busiest in the middle of the day, when the tour groups arrive. Early morning and the hour before sunset are quieter, and the light on the walls is a deeper gold.
- Allow about two hours. That gives you time to climb to the top, wander through the lanes, and take photographs. If you want to look at the surroundings, take longer.
- Wear good shoes. The paths are steep and stony, and in places uneven.
- Bring water and a hat. There is little shade on the climb, and the sun can be intense.
- Treat the village with respect. People live and work here. Ask before photographing residents, and consider buying something small from a family shop; local craft sales are an important source of income.
- Consider an overnight stay. Guesthouses in the new village and kasbah-style hotels nearby let you see the ksar at sunrise and sunset without the crowds.
- Check the river. After heavy rain the river can rise, and the crossing may be harder. Local guides will advise you.
Keeping an earthen village alive
Preserving a village made of earth is a constant effort, and the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou faces three challenges at once. The first is the weather: heavy rain in autumn and winter softens the walls and can cause sections to collapse, and the river can flood after storms. The second is depopulation. When few families live in a house, nobody is there to patch the roof or replaster a wall after the rains, and a building that is left alone for a few seasons deteriorates quickly. The third is tourism, which brings income but also wear on the paths and pressure on a fragile site.
The response has been a mixture of official conservation work and local initiative. Teams of traditional builders repair walls using the same clay and straw as the original, and some of the families who live in the ksar have opened small guesthouses and workshops so that they can afford to stay. If you spend money here, whether on a cup of tea, a painting made with saffron and sugar water, or a night in a local guesthouse, you are helping to pay for that upkeep.
When to go and where to stay
The southern valleys are pleasant from autumn to spring, when the days are warm and the nights cool, and spring brings green barley fields and flowering almond and apricot trees along the river. Summer is very hot, and the best time to visit is early in the morning or after sunset. Winter days are clear and often bright, but nights can be cold, and snow may close the high passes to the north, so plan your journey with flexibility.
For an overnight stay, the new village across the river has a choice of guesthouses and small hotels, some of them in restored kasbahs with a view of the old ksar. Waking up in front of the golden walls at sunrise, with the village still quiet, is one of the most memorable experiences of the south. Evening is also a good time to watch the sun set behind the ksar from the riverbank, a short walk from most lodgings.
The wider landscape: kasbahs, palm groves and passes
Aït Ben Haddou is one of a string of earthen monuments along the road south of the Atlas, and it makes sense to see it as part of a wider region. Close by, the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate shows the grander side of earthen architecture, the home of the powerful Glaoui family. In the Ounila valley to the north, the Kasbah Telouet was the Glaoui stronghold in the mountains. Farther east, in the palm grove of Skoura, the Kasbah Amridil is another beautifully preserved example. Together these sites tell the story of the southern valleys.
Reaching Aït Ben Haddou by bike
For cyclists, Aït Ben Haddou is a highlight, and the roads and tracks around it are some of the best in Morocco. The classic approach crosses the High Atlas from Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, then descends into the southern valleys. Our guide to cycling the Tizi n’Tichka describes the climb and its challenges. If you prefer a longer journey, Marrakech to the Sahara by bike explains how to link the Atlas and the desert.
Our eight-day cycling tour, The Oasis Road, includes a stop at Aït Ben Haddou on the way south, and our Pedal to the Dunes tour passes through the nearby valleys. For something a little more demanding, consider the Dadès Gorges road odyssey. If you are curious about the best season, see the best time to cycle Morocco: spring and autumn are the most comfortable for exploring the southern valleys, while the summer heat can be fierce.
Final thoughts
Aït Ben Haddou is a place that looks like a dream and feels like a village. Climb to the top at sunset and watch the light turn the earth to gold, and you will understand why people have been drawn to it for centuries. But take time too for the quiet corners: a shaded doorway, a child at a window, the sound of the river. They are as much a part of the ksar as the towers, and they are what make it a living monument rather than just a famous backdrop.