Âit-Benhaddou is a UNESCO World Heritage site, 3kms from the
campsite we are staying and our Berber hosts told us there is a path you can
follow along the Asif Ounila that will lead us straight to it. So armed with plenty of water, as it was
already reaching 24°C at 10am, we set off.
Not an easy task as our version of a path and a Moroccan version are
worlds apart.
We saw a couple of these interesting fellas – A Barbary Ground Squirrel, these are native to the western Sahara and hard to photograph as they don't stay still for long
And evidence of irrigation systems
A common site was seeing women doing their washing
down by the river – there are no washing machines in this part of Morroco!
About an hour later and trecking through fields bushes and trees, Âit-Benhaddou came
into sight!
The back of Âit-Benhaddou |
The bridge to access the Ksar |
It is the most famous Ksar (fortified tribal village) in the Ounila Valley and its buildings are constructed out of earth and wood. It is
well known for its location for a lot of films namely Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and more
recently Game of Thornes, and dates back to the early 18th
century and played a vital role in the caravan trade between the regions of the
former Sudan and the imperial cities of Morocco (Marrakesh, Fes, Rabat and Meknes).
List of films made at Âit-Benhaddou |
Looking down on the old Kasbah |
Into the old Kasbah, which is now laid out into a museum and
giving you an insight as to how they lived
Unfortunately, a lot of it is crumbling away
As the temperature ramped up to 27°C it was time to head back. The question is can we pick up the trail again!
The following day we took the motorhome up to Telouet, a remote
area in the Atlas Mountains, about 40kms from our campsite. Passing through lots of small villages on the way we witnessed the
worst poverty we have seen since coming to Morocco. We saw men and women, young and old with
heavy loads on their back and young children who looked like their body hadn’t seen clean water or much food for a while waving to us and some flagging us down.
They only spoke Berber so it was difficult to communicate with them but it was clear they just wanted sweets so we obliged but we also gave them pens. Not sure if there is much hope of them getting an education out here, as we didn’t see any schools but hopefully if they manage to they can use them, if not at least they will be able to draw.
There are some steep roads here, as the sign suggests, with sheer drops and no safety barriers - not a good road in a motorhome but the views were spectacular!
Looking back at where we have just come from |
Even steeper if you have to climb it on foot and by donkey!
The snowy tops of Jbel Toubkal |
At Telouet we were greeted by Ali. His English was really good and he told us he
has lived in the Atlas Mountains all his life and travels to Telouet by Donkey
every day – takes him about 2 hours! He
works in the café, (where we sat and had coffee with him) and is also a guide around the Kasbah. He offered to be our guide around the Kasbah
for 100DH. He was a really nice man and
he gave us a good history of the place.
Mel, with Ali - our guide |
The family resided here from 1912 to their eviction in1956 (after Morocco’s independence), governing the country in barbaric and ostentatious splendour. Since their departure, it is fast crumbling but some rooms remain intact with delicate iron window grilles and fine carved ceilings from the late 19th / early 20th Century. as well as stunning mosaics and intricate wood carvings
The Reception Hall |
Into the Hareem, used by the many wives and concubines |
Beautiful ornate grills on the windows |
Star of David inlay on the ceiling |
The ruins as viewed from the top |
A stop off to admire the views in the Atlas Mountains |
We have been at this campsite 3 days/nights and had a fabulous time. We have eaten in the restaurant every night – 5-course meal of olives and bread, soup/salad, lamb/chicken tagines,
fruit salads and coffee and all for 160DH for 2 people. We were also entertained with Berber music by our hosts and encouraged to join in.
This place is so relaxing we could stop here for weeks, but Morocco is such a big country and we have only just
scratched the surface. So we will stop one more day/night then it’s time to move on!
Sally x
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