Visit Aït-ben-Haddou
Aït-ben-Haddou (or Aït Benhaddou) is a small Moroccan town located in the province of Ouarzazate, 190 km from Marrakech.
It is a city with the traditional architecture of the south of Morocco located on the edge of the mountains of the High Atlas Mountains. It is made up of a set of brick earth buildings, and unlike what you can sometimes read or hear, it is not a Kasbah, but a Kasbah Ksar ( fortified traffic). It appears on the list of UNESCO World Heritage .
Flickr – Maureen
The village of Aït-ben-Haddou is especially famous for having served as a decor in many films, most of the time to replace Jerusalem. He appeared in ten films, including Lawrence d’Arabie, Gladiator and Prince of Persia: Les Sables du temps.
Flickr – Guillén Pérez
What do you see in Aït-ben-Haddou?
As a whole , the city already deserves to be admired for a long time. The sunlight on the fortified village offers beautiful colors, it is a feast for the eye. The ksar is built on the sides of a hill, making the show even more beautiful. Inside, you feel like visiting an open-air museum! Entry into the fortress is free so refuse people who want to make you pay something to pass into their home.
Flickr – Olivier
The collective attic ( agadir ) at the top of the hill is impressive and worth climbing up there. Just pay attention to the small "entrepreneurs" who want to help you get upstairs in the attic. They expect you to have the back turned to remove the small stairway that allowed you to climb, and "require" a bakchich back to allow you to descend...
Don't miss too Mausoleum of Ben-Haddou located at the foot of the hill on the other side of the city.
Flickr – Sylvain Bourdos
Before arriving, but also once at the top of the village, enjoy them incredible views on the region.
How to get to Aït-ben-Haddou from Marrakech?
The Aït-ben-Haddou ksar is 33 km north of Ouarzazate and 190 km south of Marrakech. Unlike what is shown on the map below, it is not necessary to travel 2h30 from Marrakech but rather 4h road . It all depends on the bus you take or, if you rent a car, the pace you drive.
The buses do not go directly to Aït Benhaddou, but can take you to the fork (between N9 and P1506) at about 7 km from your destination. In this place, you will normally find several taxis waiting. A seat will cost you about 10 dirhams or €0.90. The entire taxi costs 60 dirhams or 5,30€.
If you are by car, you have to take the 9 national road from Marrakech, and then turn to the clutch with the P1506 road.
If you want to go there for a single day from Marrakech, you should know that it is best to do so with a specialized agency. Also know that you will spend almost 8h A/R in transport, which can be really tiring. It is advisable to sleep on site if you want to take your time.
Sleep on site in Aït-ben-Haddou
You can sleep on site in one of the village’s hostels. The hotels/inns present in Aït-ben-Haddou offer for the most part a restaurant where you can taste Berber specialties. To find a hotel in Aït-ben-Haddou, look for it among this list .
You can also enjoy your trip to Aït-ben-Haddou to continue towards Ouarzazate and sleeping in Ouarzazate .
Have you ever been to visit the ksar of Aït-ben-Haddou?
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