After a long drive along winding roads, the first view of the fortified village of Aït Ben Haddou seems like a dream from 1001 nights: Tower houses made of red clay, stacked on top of each other, growing up the barren hill from the lush palm grove by the river and blending in with their surroundings.
Aït Ben Haddou is the best-preserved adobe settlement in Morocco and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. A visit to the most beautiful village in Morocco, which is now one of the most visited sights in the country, is definitely a worthwhile stop on your round trip.

International visitors’ interest in Aït Ben Haddou has been aroused by numerous film productions. The best known are certainly Game of Thrones and Gladiator.
We give you an overview of the history and architecture of Aït Ben Haddou and tell you what you need to know for a visit.
- How do you get to Aït Ben Haddou?
- What to see and do in Aït Ben Haddou?
- The visit of Aït Ben Haddou
- Aït Ben Haddou as a movie set
- Why Aït Ben Haddou is a Unesco World Heritage Site
- Towering buildings made of clay characterize the architecture
- How does building with clay work?
- The history of Aït Ben Haddou
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How do you get to Aït Ben Haddou?
Aït Ben Haddou is located in the province of Ouarzazate on the southern edge of the High Atlas and can easily be explored on a day trip from Marrakesh or as a stop on a road trip.
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A day trip from Marrakesh * is feasible and is also offered by many agencies, but it means sitting in the car for over 7 hours — leaving little time for exploring. The day trippers therefore start very early and don’t get back until late. If you are looking for an alternative excursion, you are sure to find what you are looking for in our blog article on the most popular day trips from Marrakesh.
The classic day trip program includes a drive over the High Atlas with a stop in Aït Ben Haddou, followed by a visit to the film studios in Ouarzazate and then the long drive back. After all, it is from Marrakesh to Aït Ben Haddou over 180 kilometers.
It is more relaxed to plan the impressive village as a stop on a road trip through Morocco’s south.
Both a day trip and the multi-day trips can be booked as a group tour or as an individual trip with a private driver.
Of course, you can also visit the town in your own rental car.
The itinerary for a visit as part of a multi-day round trip to the desert* is similar to a day trip: start in the morning in Marrakesh and drive over the High Atlas with a photo stop at the Tizi n’Tishka Pass, then arrive in Aït Ben Haddou after a winding 4‑hour drive.
After a visit to the village and a pause in one of the restaurants, the tour continues to Ouarzazate, usually for a visit to the film studios and then an overnight stay.
This is also quite enough to have seen Aït Ben Haddou, as the village is not particularly large. However, the morning hours between the red clay walls are particularly atmospheric and worth seeing. It is therefore perhaps a good idea to spend the night in Aït Ben Haddou.
The sunrise from one of the roof terraces of the surrounding hotels is also magnificent. The sunset is rather unspectacular, but the soft light in the evening is ideal for taking photos in the village itself.
A visit to the village is particularly nice in the morning and late afternoon, when the day tourists have gone and it is quieter.
It is also nice to drive from Marrakesh via the Telouet Valley with the large Glaoui Kasbah and then via the Ounila Valley.
The narrow green ribbon along the river, the crammed houses in the small villages and the magnificent landscape have a very original feel. Two-day tours with an overnight stay in Aït Ben Haddou* are offered from Marrakesh, which leave enough time to discover the villages and kasbahs in the surrounding area.
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What to see and do in Aït Ben Haddou?
The charm of Aït Ben Haddou lies in the intricate clay architecture that stretches picturesquely up the mountain. The view from the other side of the river, in particular, is sure to make for a photo opportunity and is best enjoyed with a mint tea on one of the restaurant terraces.
The town itself is divided into a modern and an old half by the river. The old part is of course interesting for tourists, but almost all the restaurants and hotels are in the new part.
The river Assif Mellah (sometimes also called Assif Ounila) flows between the two parts of the village, but it does not carry water all year round.
When the water flows in winter and spring, the village looks particularly beautiful, as the contrast between the water and the barren surroundings is impressive.
Aït Ben Haddou lies at an altitude of around 1300 meters. It can therefore get very cold at night, especially in winter. Ouarzazate, one of the most important cities in the south of Morocco, is approx. 30 km away.
In the surrounding area, you can experience the river oasis and the barren landscape around it on horseback.
The visit of Aït Ben Haddou
To get to the old village center, go down to the river in the new settlement. If there is water in the river, take the bridge, otherwise you can simply cross the dry riverbed. Cross the bridge to reach the main entrance to the village, further down by the river there is a side entrance.
You can explore the small village on your own or hire a local guide for a few euros at the entrance to the village.
A few of the old adobe houses are still inhabited and the locals are happy to show you their homes for a small fee. In some houses you can climb up to the roof terrace and enjoy the view.
In the alleyways there are a few souvenir stores and a few rustic cafés with roof terraces from which you have a beautiful view of the bustling houses.
The village is located on a steep slope, up which narrow steps lead. If you want to enjoy the fantastic view of the village, the river oasis and the High Atlas from the top, you will have to make a strenuous climb. It is certainly a good idea to take a bottle of water and a sun hat with you. Depending on the time of year, the sun beats down mercilessly.
Once at the top, you have a fantastic panoramic view of the river valley, the snow-capped mountains and the surrounding desert landscape. The view is most beautiful in the morning and towards evening, when the light is soft. In the midday heat, the view is often dull and lacking in contrast.
On the way back, you can take the rear exit from the village and walk along the river. From down here you can take great photos of the tall residential towers.
The best view of Aït Ben Haddou itself is from the new settlement. There are numerous restaurants, cafés and hotels here from whose roof terraces you can enjoy the view.
You want to visit Aït Ben Haddou?
At GetYourGuide* you will find various day and multi-day tours to the south of Morocco
Aït Ben Haddou as a movie set
Morocco has close ties to the Hollywood film industry. Ouarzazate is home to the major Atlas Film Studios, which are internationally renowned and where numerous blockbusters have been filmed. Marrakesh hosts the annual film festival in November, which even attracts Hollywood celebrities such as Brad Pitt.
The impressive setting of the village has served as backdrop for more than 20 movies. The best known are certainly Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
In front of the old village center is an imposing gate with two watchtowers facing the river. This deceptively real gate was built for the Game of Thrones series and has been a major point of contention ever since, as tourists love the gates, but the Unesco is of the opinion that they have no place in a World Heritage Site.
A detailed report on the filming locations for Game of Thrones in Morocco can be found at Escape from Reality.
The numerous film productions have certainly also contributed to the preservation of the settlement. As early as 1970, buildings and walls were repaired for a film shoot.
For the film Gladiator, a special arena was built outside the village for the gladiator fights. Nothing of this can be seen today, but photos of the film set can be found in some stores.
Why Aït Ben Haddou is a Unesco World Heritage Site
Aït Ben Haddou is a traditional fortified village, a so-called Ksar (plural: Ksour) of the pre-sahara.
There are still many ksour in the High Atlas, some are over 1000 years old, many are dilapidated and uninhabited, some have been renovated and now house beautiful guesthouses. Aït Ben Haddou is so unique in its preserved old substance that it has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1987.
However, it was not only the architectural ensemble that was decisive for the World Heritage status. The collaborative organization of the building trade is also remarkable.
In Berber culture, knowledge of architecture and other traditions has been passed down in families for centuries.
As with many village communities, the construction of larger structures used to only be possible together.
A special feature of the Berber villages is that most of the villages are owned by the community and managed by the village councils. The maintenance and new construction of buildings is decided jointly and strengthens social cohesion.
The communal buildings include a mosque, a village square, a threshing floor, a karavanserai, two cemeteries (Muslim and Jewish) and the shrine of Saint Sidi Ali. These buildings belong to the village community and are also built, maintained and repaired collectively.
Today, hardly anyone still lives in the old ksar, which makes maintenance much more difficult. Like everywhere else, young people are moving to the big cities and so there are fewer and fewer knowledgeable residents left to look after the buildings.
The Moroccan government has launched a program to preserve the unique site, providing assistance with repairs to the building structure and raising awareness of traditional building culture among the population.
Aït Ben Haddou is now regarded as a flagship for the sensitive treatment of old buildings, the needs of the population and marketing as a tourist destination.
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Towering buildings made of clay characterize the architecture
Aït Ben Haddou is a typical clay settlement of the pre-Sahara. It is fortified and surrounded by high walls flanked by strong corner towers. This architectural style is widespread from Libya to Mauritania and is referred to as a pre-Saharan settlement type.
Although the construction method is the same as it was thousands of years ago, the oldest buildings only date back to the 17th century due to constant renovations.
In the village itself, there are houses, sometimes real residential towers (called tighremt), and buildings that serve the common good. The narrow alleyways keep the summer heat at bay, as they are in the shade for most of the day, and in ancient times they were easier to defend than wide streets.
You can see from the elaborate decorations on the houses that functionality was not the only thing that was important to the villagers.
The upper part of the residential towers are decorated with geometric patterns which, according to ancient tradition, are supposed to ward off evil.
The buildings have only a few windows, but occasionally have ventilation slits to use the chimney effect to cool the living spaces in summer.
The rooms are traditionally laid out around inner courtyards and house stables and storage rooms on the first floor and living quarters on the upper floors.
On the hill above the village is the collective granary, which is unfortunately only a ruin today.
The grouping of buildings around the central granary is typical of this region and was intended to protect the villagers’ most valuable asset in the event of attacks.
There is no minaret to be found in the old village. Until the 20th century, mosque minarets were only common in large cities. Villages generally had prayer rooms without minarets.
The devastating earthquake in September 2023 damaged several buildings in the old village center. The granary on the hill above the village, which had already collapsed in places, was destroyed even more. Fortunately, the entire complex survived the earthquake without major damage.
By the way: As already mentioned, the fortified village itself is called a ksar. A kasbah, on the other hand, is a castle built of mud and can be located inside or outside a village. The kasbah provided protection and living space for the ruling Berber prince, which is why the term kasbah is not appropriate for Aït Ben Haddou as a whole.
How does building with clay work?
As there are no forests in this region, people have learned to make use of the building materials available: Clay and palm wood.
These materials can be found in abundance around the village and the clay from the nearby river gives the walls their characteristic red tone.
Thanks to the natural building materials, the village blends harmoniously into its surroundings. At first glance, you could easily overlook the houses as they blend in with the color of the surroundings.
Clay as a building material for walls
The buildings in the village are made of clay bricks and the houses are plastered with clay on both the outside and inside, which gives them their homogeneous appearance. Some houses have a plinth made of field stones, which is partially visible.
Clay is plentiful, cheap and can be worked without machines. The houses, which are built from dried clay bricks, keep cool in summer and warm in winter.
The craftsmen who specialize in building with clay are called maâlems and the techniques they use are over a thousand years old.
The clay is mixed with straw to increase its strength, spread in molds and dried in the sun.
The bricks are then walled up with — precisely — clay as mortar.
Because the building material is not very stable, thick walls are needed to support the tall buildings. The buildings lean against each other and support each other and it is not uncommon for the houses to be literally nested inside each other.
Palm wood and reed stalks provide the material for ceilings and roofs
The date palms that grow along the river bear little fruit due to the altitude, but are used as building material.
The trunks are used to make ceiling beams and the fibers are used to make mats and ropes. The palm fronds are used to make baskets and other utensils.
Reeds are also processed into mats and used as building material for ceilings and roofs.
For ceilings, palm wood beams are laid first, covered with reed mats and then sealed with a mixture of clay and straw
Doors and windows are made of wood. Glass was traditionally not used, and sometimes ornate metal gridswere placed in the window openings.
This economical and sustainable construction method also poses a problem with regard to the not very frequent, but often torrential rainfall: as the bricks are not burnt, there is a risk that the buildings will simply dissolve with every downpour. The scorching summer heat also affects the old walls, which virtually crumble under the Moroccan sun.
Even today, the settlement is extensively renovated every three years, as the sun and occasional rain cause the walls to crumble. This construction method requires constant repair work, which is traditionally carried out by the village community, but is difficult nowadays as hardly anyone still lives in the old village.
This also creates a difficult paradox for Aït Ben Haddou: the masses of visitors cause the fragile structures to suffer, but the village needs enough paying visitors to maintain them and the interest of the tourists ensures that the maintenance of the buildings is worthwhile.
The history of Aït Ben Haddou
The first written records date back to the 17th century, but the oral tradition of the settlement’s history goes back to the 11th century.
The village was named after the first governor of the place, Amghar Ben-Haddou, who ruled here in the 11th century. Aït means clan, so the Berbers of the Ben Haddou tribe live here.
Aït Ben Haddou used to be a trading post along the caravan route that connected Marrakesh with Timbuktu and Sudan. In the Draa and Dades valleys, there are many fortified villages with similar architecture, but nowhere are the houses as spectacularly situated on the mountainside as here.
Until well into the 20th century, the inhabitants lived as self-sufficient farmers, supplemented by a small amount of livestock, mainly sheep and goats. In the village’s heyday, more than 1000 people are said to have lived within the fortified walls.
Since the 1960s, a settlement with modern amenities such as electricity and running water has been built on the other side of the river, and the inhabitants have abandoned the old clay buildings.
The road through the Ounila Valley was only paved in 2012, before that the route, which is popular with visitors, was a dusty track.
Today, only a few families still live in the village’s traditional clay buildings and are happy to show off their homes to paying visitors. The village is now more of an open-air museum than a functioning village community.
What’s more, its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site means that it cannot be repaired using modern materials such as concrete or steel. In this respect, tourism is a blessing, as visitors come to see the old village, which is therefore worth preserving.
Nobody can blame the residents for no longer wanting to live in the old buildings, but it would be a shame if the village were to fall into disrepair. The many visitors are therefore welcome, even if it can get very crowded at times. A visit is definitely worthwhile and every visit contributes to the preservation of this beautiful ensemble.
The clay architecture of Aït Ben Haddou is simply impressive!
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