Ait Ben Haddou is a fortified earthen village on a hillside above a river, UNESCO listed since 1987, and you see it properly by climbing to the top. The ksar is a cluster of kasbahs behind a single wall, built on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, and a handful of families still live inside it.
It sits four hours from Marrakech over the Tizi n Tichka pass, which makes it a long day trip or a stop on the way to the desert.
Things to do at Ait Ben Haddou
| Climb to the agadir at the top | The old granary crowns the hill. Twenty minutes up, and the view over the valley is the reason to come |
| Cross the river | Stepping stones or a small bridge depending on the season. The classic approach on foot |
| Walk the inner lanes | Narrow, stepped, and cool even at midday. Some houses are open and their owners show you round |
| The film locations | Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones. Guides point out exactly where each was shot |
| Watch a saffron and indigo demonstration | In the artisan houses on the way up. Pigments painted on paper and revealed with heat |
| Photograph it from the far bank | The whole ksar in one frame, best in late afternoon when the earth goes orange |
| Tamdaght kasbah | Six kilometres north, a ruined Glaoui kasbah with storks nesting on it, and almost no visitors |
| Ouarzazate and the studios | 30 km away, usually combined into the same day |
| The Tizi n Tichka pass | Not a stop but the journey itself, over 2 260 metres of hairpins through the High Atlas |
What a ksar is, and why this one matters
A ksar is a fortified village; a kasbah is a fortified house. Ait Ben Haddou is a collection of kasbahs inside one defensive wall, which is what makes it unusual and what got it listed.
Everything is built of rammed earth and straw, which means it dissolves in heavy rain and is rebuilt continuously. What you see is both ancient and repeatedly renewed, and the newer restoration work on the lower slopes is visible if you look.
The climb, and how hard it is
From the river to the granary at the top takes about twenty minutes on stepped lanes and rough path. It is not difficult but it is uneven, and in summer it is hot: the earth radiates heat and there is little shade above the houses.
Go up in the morning or late afternoon. Middle of the day in July is punishing, and the light is flat for photographs anyway.
The films, and what they left behind
The valley has stood in for Egypt, Jerusalem, Rome and Essos. Some structures on the site were built for productions and left, which confuses visitors who assume everything is medieval.
If the cinema side interests you, the studios and the film museum are in Ouarzazate, thirty minutes away, and most day trips combine the two.
How long you need
Two hours on site covers the crossing, the climb and the way down at a reasonable pace. Half a day if you want the artisan houses and lunch on a terrace facing the ksar.
From Marrakech it is a long day: four hours of road each way over the pass. A private day trip covers the ksar and Ouarzazate, and the budget version does the same route in a shared vehicle. What that day actually contains is here.
On any desert circuit you pass it anyway: the four day route to Merzouga stops properly rather than photographing it from the road.
Practical notes
Entry to the ksar itself is free; individual houses ask a small fee and it is worth paying one. Cash only. Shoes with grip for the stepped lanes. And the Tizi n Tichka is the demanding part of the drive, with lorries and hairpins, which is the argument for a driver over a hire car.
The other six kinds of day are on things to do in Morocco.
