Morocco - South - Ouarzazate - hotels, kasbahs, skoura - REDISCOVER THE WORLD - MOROCCO

Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate is the first town most people see after crossing the High Atlas and is the unofficial capital of the south of Morocco. Formerly a Foreign Legion outpost in the southern Kasbah region, it has been notably used as a location backdrop by many epic films such as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and Jesus of Nazareth. An incredible day out from Marrakech or useful as a staging post for adventures further south in the Sahara, the Todra and Dades Gorges and the many oases of the South. Ouarzazate is also home to the Atlas Film Studios which offers a tour when large-scale filming is not taking place.

Ouarzazate was built in 1928 and is now, among other things, the starting point for trips into Southern Morocco. However this stopover town is now a destination in its own right. The recently restored Taourirt kasbah proves this point; UNESCO has recognized this district with its ochre adobe buildings as a World Heritage of Humanity Site. The stucco decoration and the painted cedar ceilings in two magnificent rooms are particularly noteworthy. This ancient residence of Pacha Glaoui has been perfectly restored using traditional techniques; the village, with its several hundred inhabitants, is a living treasure. It is one of the places where you can admire the wealth of the local craftwork which includes carpets, furniture, reed baskets, pottery, jewellery and Berber daggers. In addition the Ahwach Festival is held annually in the kasbah in September helping to develop the popular heritage of the region.

Ouarzazate has been unfailingly linked with cinema since 1984. Its climate, geographical situation and economic conditions have encouraged film studios to locate there. The sets of films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra or the Sheltering Sky and Gladiator can be visited at the Atlas Film Studios.

As with many other towns in Morocco, Ouarzazate has an old town with its maze of narrow streets and a new town where most of the hotels are located. The Kasbah Taourirt is withn walking distance of most of the hotels and is well worth a visit.

Hotels Featured
Karam Palace	Les Tourmalines	Mercure Hotel

The Karam Palace is a great value 4* hotel, ideally located close to the main sights of Ouarzazate.	The Tourmalines is probably our favourite hotel in the area. Stunning views over the huge lake are quite unique.	The Mercure Hotel is the closest hotel to the Taourirt Kasbah, has excellent views from many rooms.

Dar Daif	La Perle du Sud

The Dar Daif is a Kasbah-style property across the river from the centre of town; ideal for those arriving from the Draa Valley.	The Perle du Sud Hotel is a great value small hotel in the centre; ideal if you are just passing through and want to be near the main sights.

You can't leave Ouarzazate without visiting the Tiffoultoute kasbah and the Ait Benhaddou ksar. These remarkable examples of traditional architecture give a foretaste of the famous Route of the 1000 kasbahs. The view from the impressive ksar (fort, plural ksour), which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Humanity Site, is a magnificent panorama of the palm grove, the reg (stony desert) and the Atlas mountains.

Other sightseeing nearby: The Skoura palm grove, where many other fruit trees grow: pomegranate, almond, apricot, date, fig and olive, is situated 42km from Ouarzazate. It also houses several kasbahs, more and more impressive as you penetrate deeper and deeper into the palm grove. Not far away, near Toundout, there are must-see salt mines: you will see three colours of salt, red for drying meat, black for feeding livestock and white for cooking. The Dadès Valley runs from Ouarzazate to Boumalne. It is dry and lined with kasbahs and unique fortified villages. From time to time, you should leave the road and discover traditional Berber adobe houses. Take a cool break at the Skoura palm grove. After leaving Tinghir you arrive at the magnificent Todra Gorge. It narrows as its faces tower higher and higher (up to 300m) above your head. A trail, passing through the Dadès Gorge, leads to Boumalne. Depending on the lighting the rocks seem to be red, pink or mauve. The Jbel Saghro djebel is situated south of Boumalne where one can observe some of the 150 varieties of birds already spotted in the Valley of the Birds. By continuing your trip along the Dadès, you pass through the rose country, El Kelaât M'Gouna, where rose water, so vital for complexions, is made. In May, the rose has the place of honour in a three-day festival held throughout the area - you can see rose water being made and buy associated products or just enormous bunches of roses to dry. Further on, the Dadès Gorge opens up and then the Todra Gorge whose cliffs can be 300m high. At the end of September, the little village of Aït Ameur, situated about 20km from Imilchil, holds the Fiancé moussem. Thousands of Berbers pitch their traditional tents near this High Atlas village and join in the festivities. As well as being a fair, marriages are arranged or celebrated on this occasion.

typical scenery in the countryside near Ouarzazate

The Drâa Valley extending for almost 200km towards the South irrigates a narrow oasis where dates and henna grow. After leaving the Drâa Valley, a series of oases rapidly succeed each other along the fine desert-like road leading to Zagora. Don't hesitate to stop to experience their unchanged way of life. The environment is exceptionally well preserved. Don't miss Amezrou village, ancient Jewish kasbah, and, above all, Tamgroute and its prestigious Koranic library which houses precious handwritten Korans, the oldest dating from the 11th century, and works of mathematics, history and medicine. The Tissergate ksar (fort), one of the ksour (forts) which line the valley, houses a museum of arts and traditions in which many everyday articles and Berber craftwork are exhibited. M'Hamid is the starting point for trips into the Sahara. Two high dunes in Tinfou give a foretaste of the desert. For the real thing continue west from Tinfou to the Chigaga dunes which extend for 150km. One of which can reach a height of 150m. This is the dream place for answering the call of the desert. Many bivouacs are organized in the Chigaga dunes from M'Hamid onwards. Those in good physical shape can participate with nomads in a real transhumance. During this trek, the Aït Atta Berber tribes drive their flocks of sheep and goats between the High Atlas and the Saghro djebel (or vice-versa).

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