Ksar Of Ait Ben Haddou
This wonderful Ksar Of Ait Ben Haddou is located on the southern slope of the High Atlas, in a set of valleys that are part of the oases of southern Morocco declared a World Heritage Site. It is an area that has many geological and mineral deposits, is inhabited by the descendants of several Berber tribes, and enjoys a great socio-cultural richness due to its palm groves, springs, khettaras, crafts, and mousses.
Leaving Ouarzazate by the road that goes towards Marrakech, we arrive at the upper valley of the Drâa, the Agadir southern, and the arid slope of the Djebel Toubkal.
It is a mountain road dotted with kasbahs that cross the cordillera by the passage of Tizi n’Tichka, at 2260 meters above sea level.
The main attractions are:
Ksar Of Ait Ben Haddou
The Kasbah of Ait-Ben-Haddou
50 km from Ouarzazate, by a deviation of the national road, next to the Ounila River, we find this spectacular kasbah declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Some sequences of the film “Laurence of Arabia” were filmed there.
Despite her undoubted beauty, she is in a state of semi-abandonment. However, it enjoys a good tourist offer, with restaurants and hotels. For example, you can point out the 4-star Hotel Kasbah.
From Aït-Ben-Haddou, the road to Marrakech N-9 goes up the Atlas through the following villages:
Amerzgane, 30 km from the Kasbah Hotel d’Imini.
Tisseldeï, 44km away, with tourist accommodation, Iroha.
Agouim at 67km, from where mountain paths leave to the region of Djebel Siroua (south of Djebel Toubkal) and to the villages of Taliouine and Aoulouz on the road to Taroudant.
The national road continues through the port of Tizzi n’Tichka at 83km and arrives in Marrakech after 160 km of the path.
A very fashionable alternative for lovers of all-terrain vehicles is to cross the Atlas from Aït-Ben-Haddou by going up through the Ounila valley to the Kasbah of Telouet at 50 km and access the port of Tizi n’Tichka after 70 km.
For quite a while, the small road follows the river parallel. Kasbahs are scattered throughout the landscape, such as those of Ameniter or Tamdagh. Some are in ruins. We also cross several villages entirely built of earth and straw.
Quality accommodation can be found in the area, such as in the localities of Asfalou, Tamedakhte, and Taifst.
