Ouarzazate

On the threshold of the deep south rises the majestic Ouarzazate, a striking blend of oases, kasbahs and flourishing valleys. In the shade of its palm trees, Ouarzazate has settled down, leaving behind a rocky immensity swept by all the winds of the Sahara. Although the temperature can easily reach 45°C in summer, the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas mountains are just around the corner, and Ouarzazate takes advantage of this contrast to attract a wide range of visitors: film-makers, adventure-seeking tourists, writers looking for serenity and tranquillity, and those who just want a good vacation.

Ouarzazate boasts an extensive infrastructure: several vacation clubs, luxury hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies, a golf club, a convention center and an international airport. Ouarzazate is also the venue for numerous rallies, marathons and hikes. Ouarzazate is also the Hollywood of Morocco. It boasts several film studios, including the Atlas Corporation Studio and the Kanzaman Studio, which are not open to tourists during the filming season. The oases and mountains around Ouarzazate are a veritable treasure trove. The kasbahs, splendid architectural relics with their adobe walls and tall towers, will transport you to a world where time seems to have stood still.

This Island has an area of 13.7 square kilometers only. Given the flat landscape and the small area, Neil can be bicycled around with minimal effort from its neighboring Havelock

Kasbah Taourirt

Kasbah de Taourirt: for its size, architecture and decoration, this is one of the most beautiful in Morocco (listed as a historic monument). It was the largest residence of the Glaoui, the pasha of Marrakech. Its adobe buildings, flanked by crenellated towers, are laid out on superimposed levels, against a backdrop of walls plastered pink and carved with geometric designs. You can visit some of the rooms in the Glaoui’s former apartments, including the dining room and the favorite’s bedroom (…), which have retained their painted stucco decoration and cedar wood ceilings. From the terrace, there is a remarkable view of the fortified Berber village of Taourirt (predating the 13th-century town of Ouarzazate), the valley and its oases, and the mountains on the horizon.

Tiffoultoute

This is another kasba belonging to the Glaoui family, situated on a hilltop above a ksar, between a wadi and a palm grove. Ksour are surrounded by an enclosure with a single gateway and include a series of granaries.

Hollywood Marocain

Morocco has unveiled plans to invest 43 million dirhams to turn the southern city of Ouarzazate into an international film center by 2016. Improving local resources for the film industry will enable Ouarzazate to shoot thirty-eight feature films each year (up from eleven at present), inject 180 million euros in annual revenue and secure eight thousand jobs, according to the plan by the Centre Marocain du Cinéma and the Conseil Sous Masse Dera’a.
The “Moroccan Hollywood”, the nickname given by cinephiles to the southern Moroccan town of Ouarzazate, has become an international capital of the seventh art. Renowned film-makers come to southern Morocco in search of the sunshine and Oriental flair they need for their blockbusters. Ouarzazate, recently twinned with Los Angeles, offers oases, towns, endless hills and multicolored landscapes ideal for filming. Filmmakers have often used the palace of Ayat Bin Hiddo as a backdrop.