Aït-Ben-Haddou
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Out of Marrakech and across the High Atlas mountains heading towards the Sahara desert, you will find Aït-Ben-Haddou. We made a stop here on the first day of our tour from Marrakech to Sahara. Aït-Ben-Haddou is a fortified village (ksar in Arabic), and consists of earthen adobe dwellings going up a small hill and enclosed by a defensive wall. There are many such villages along the road between Marrakech and Merzouga (the Moroccan gateway to the Sahara desert), but none as impressive as Aït-Ben-Haddou. 
A Place Frozen in Time
The village dates back to the 17th century and stands as a fine example of Berber traditional architecture in Southern Morocco. Back in the day, it was an important stop for merchants on the caravan route between Sahara and Marrakech. Aït Ben Haddou has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for over 30 years now and is one of 9 such sites in Morocco. This well-deserved status, as well as its popularity amongst film-makers, has helped with its preservation.
Getting there
It’s a 4h hour drive to Aït-Ben-Haddou from Marrakech, and a further 6h drive to Merzouga, should you come the other way. It’s one of the most popular attractions in Morocco despite its remote location, and there are many ways to see it, some cheaper or more convenient than others.
There is the inexpensive public transport option by bus or grand taxi to the nearby city of Ouarzazate. If you can get off at an earlier stop, take a short taxi ride from there. There is no train option.
If you rent a car and self-drive to the desert, this is a short detour from the main road, one that should not be missed. Alternatively, you could go for a private/group tour and do this as part of a multi-day trip to the Sahara desert - a popular option among travellers.
What to do
Aït-Ben-Haddou is made up of two main areas, a newer part where all the hotels and restaurants are, and the ancient village, on the other side of a river. From the parking lot, you get the first glimpse of the fortified village. Today, the village is largely a display of Moroccan merchandise, and the road to the top of the hill is lined with souvenir shops. It is clearly lacking the authenticity it had, as a result of mass tourism, but one can easily imagine how life once was while walking through the narrow streets. Once at the top, you can enjoy a nice view of the village from above as well as the surrounding desert-like landscape, against the snow-covered mountain tops - a striking combination.
You could spend more time browsing the stalls to snatch a good bargain or sip on Moroccan mint tea on a kasbah rooftop, but other than that, there is not a lot to do there. But choosing to spend the night cannot be a bad decision. It’s most likely you would end up here mid-day, and it’s easy to see why the colours of Aït-Ben-Haddou would come alive at sunrise or sunset. In addition, you’d have the village all to yourself, no crowds, as all the tour groups arrive at noon. It’s a breath of fresh air after the hustle of Marrakech or Fez, a safe place to relax.
A film location
Aït-Ben-Haddou is an extremely photogenic place, from any angle, and for that reason it has become a very popular film location. By that, I don’t mean one big film, but more than 20 films or TV series, many of international success. Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, Prince of Persia, The Mummy - they all had scenes filmed in Aït-Ben-Haddou and/or the nearby Atlas Studios. Game of Thrones fans should recognize the village as Yunkai from Season 3. The real Aït-Ben-Haddou is, of course, not as spectacular as its CGI-enhanced version, but it’s not far!
We did stop at the nearby Atlas studios, but didn’t actually go in. To me, it came across as a little touristy and tacky, and I felt that I would get a lot more from historically-rich Aït-Ben-Haddou as a filming location than a nearby movie studio built specifically for film.
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