Set spectacular in the foothills of
Morocco's Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou is frozen in time. Which time is a little harder to pinpoint – it’s been Roman, in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, it saw the Third Crusade (12th century) in Kingdom of Heaven, and it’s played a role in the First World War in Lawrence of Arabia. It’s so much more than a prolific film set, though.
An excellent example of a ksar (fortified village), so much so that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the site of Ait Ben Haddou has been in use for over 1,000 years – for many of those it was a caravanserai on a busy trade route between Marrakech and the Sahara. The earthen clay architecture that is what we see today is thought to be 17th century, a series of six kasbahs (the fortified dwellings of local leaders) connected by narrow, winding streets – today lined with little shops and stalls - that are wonderfully atmospheric to wander.
Set at the top of the village is the ighrane, an old grain store, which you can head up to for magnificent views over olive and date palm groves to the snow-capped Atlas Mountains beyond.
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