Ait Benhaddou, Morocco

North of Ouarzazate in the southern foothills of the High Atlas, lies one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Welcome to the 17th-century Ksar of Ait-Benhaddou which has served as the locale for many films including Indiana Jones, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth (for which much of Aït Benhaddou was rebuilt), Jewel of the Nile, and Gladiator.

A “ksar” is a small collection of adobe buildings normally surrounded by high walls as is typical of a traditional Saharan community. The surrounding defensive walls are reinforced by corner towers which rise high above the walls. Ait-Benhaddou is a striking example of such architecture and built entirely of local organic material, which is covered by a rich red mud plaster from the nearby Ounila River. Made up of six kasbahs and almost 50 smaller ksour (plural for ksar), local belief is that the ksar was founded in 757 AD. by Ben-Haddou whose tomb is said to lie somewhere below the old city. However, the oldest structures of Ait-Benhaddou only date back to the early 17th century.

First constructed as an Almoravid caravanserai, it provided shelter to travellers along the trading routes which linked ancient Sudan to the souks of Morocco’s Marrakech. The traded goods must have included items such as gold, salt, and West African slaves that passed along this route since ancient times but reached a peak between the 8th century AD and the late 16th century AD. As these traders brought in such valuable items, the defensive walls were necessary to protect them and the kasbah residents from the bandits and raiding nomads.

As the trans-Saharan trade declined by the late 17th century, Ait-Benhaddou remained important as it transformed itself to be the centre of local power.

While many of the structures of Ait-Benhaddou are in a derelict state, some of the buildings remain occupied by resident families, who increasingly set up shop selling souvenirs to the tourists. Other than the living quarters, the ksar is home to a mosque, a public square, grain threshing areas outside the ramparts, a fortification at the top of the village (the agadir), a caravanserai, and two cemeteries (Muslim and Jewish).

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine July 2017

Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Around Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Shops at Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

Road east of Aït-Ben-Haddou, Morocco

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine July 2017

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