Ait-Ben-Haddou | Ounila Valley, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Located in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas in the Province of Ouarzazate, the site of Ait-Ben-Haddou is the most famous ksar in the Ounila Valley. The Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture.

Inside the defensive walls which are reinforced by angle towers and pierced with a baffle gate, houses crowd together – some modest, others resembling small urban castles with their high angle towers and upper sections decorated with motifs in clay brick.

It’s an extraordinary ensemble of buildings offering a complete panorama of pre-Saharan earthen construction techniques.

This UNESCO World Heritage site serves as a backdrop for HBO’s Game of Thrones as well as many Hollywood films including:

• Sodom And Gomorrah (1963)
• Oedipus Rex (1967)
• The Man Who Would Be King (film) (1975)
• The Message (1976)
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
• Time Bandits (1981)
• Marco Polo (1982)
• The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
• The Sheltering Sky (1990)
• Kundun (1997)
• The Mummy (1999)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Alexander (2004)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Babel (2006)
• Prince of Persia (2010)
• Son of God (film) (2014)