Leaving Marrakesh, we drove through the snow-covered peaks of the Atlas Mountains on our way to the town of Ouarzazate, the first stop on a three-day driving tour that would take us to Fez after an overnight trip into the Sahara on camelback.
On the eastern side of the mountains, the lush green of the coastal plains gave way to the dry, rugged landscapes we had expected from Morocco.
The dusty little towns crowd close around the sparse green of the nearly dry riverbeds.
The UNESCO Heritage village of Ait BenHaddou was founded around 1000 CE. It was a key stop on the main caravan route known for its salt, back when salt was literally worth its weight in gold. These days its money comes from tourism and its fame as an otherworldly film location. Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah," with Hedy Lamar and Victor Mature was the first to film here in 1949, followed by "Lawrence of Arabia," "Gladiator," "Game of Thrones," and many more.
No one lives in the village now, the new village is just across the river. Here's all that let of the sultan's pleasure gardens.
The vistas of the village and the surrounding area from the top of the hill are stunning.
On the next leg of our journey, we stopped to buy gear for our desert camel ride.
The film industry is big in Morocco.
I was intrigued by the guy in the Jawa robe.
Everywhere were little groups of men, smoking.
We finally reached our hotel around sunset.
The staff gave us a traditional Moroccan welcome.
P.
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