Morocco - Aït-ben-Haddou

18th April 2015

Skoura to Ait Ben Haddou 1:10hr.

Snakes are not my thing at all. He moved with such speed that there was no time to think before snakes were wrapped around Jarvis's neck.
We had stopped for a view point of the spectacular, Ait Benhaddou. With great viewpoints often come sales, but the snakes were thrilling for the boys , Lachlan and myself not included.

We had reached a view point for the spectacular Ait Benhaddou,  one of Ouarzazate’s ancient walled cities, the Kasbah that stands out above all others in the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs.
A pretty adventurous entry to Ait Benhaddou followed as we choose the old sand bag river crossing. They were more awkward then they appeared, especially for Chris carrying Lachlan. A new bridge has not long been constructed to give access when there is flooding.

On the other side we stood and gazed up at Ait Benhaddou, it is familar for a reason. It has been seen before in films such as 'Lawrence of Arabia',  'Gladiator', 'The Mummy', 'Game of Thrones' and much more. It was truly an incredible looking place, like a movie set - hah hah. Despite it's hollywood touch-ups it still resembles its 11th century caravanserai beginnings. It lies on the caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. Often hundreds of caravans of camels would stop . They carried silver, gold and slaves and returned with salt. The Marrakech to Ouarzazate caravan route ended when the French constructed a highly engineered road over the  Tizi n Tichka Pass. Now this giant fortification of six kasbahs, a remarkable example of earthern clay architecture and one of Morocco's top tourist attractions,  houses only some 4-8 families.

Not knowing what it was that we had paid our modest entrance fee for, we followed a man into one of the kasbahs that allowed visitors. He led us through a succession of small dark rooms. A few displays had been set up to give us idea of what had once been. These tiny rooms with wonky floors and tiny windows once belonged to a wealthy family. This was 'grand' considering the building methods of the time. Bricks were hand made and ceiling beams came from local trees.  Flat roofs could function as outdoor bedrooms to avoid the heat, smells and space constraints.

We were lead outside and I finally realized we were being 'guided'.  These guide-ambushed situations could be rather annoying, but what Chris and I knew was that we knew nothing and his knowledge was invaluable. Plus it helped to keep the kids going, less indecision and hence less complaints that arise from this. Our guide was a lovely man belonging to one of the few families living here. This is what helps with their maintenance costs.
We continued our climb of the Kasbah, stopping to take in views such as the 'gladiator' site.

The remains of Gladiator.

We took a closer look at the building materials, the pise (compacted bricks),  laid over stone footings and covered with a thick layer of adobe. Ziggurat motif designs decorated the upper sections, holes in the walls ventilated them and helped then disintegrate less quickly.  
Much has been altered, for 'Jesus of Nazareth' the whole lower part of the village was rebuilt. But in recent years the UNESCO listing has enforced more controlled restoration. 

High on the hill, our guide points to a layer of salt within the rock indicating that the land has risen this high from the sea.

Land risen from the sea.

Nearish the top: Four out of five still going.

We pass a man playing the 'rebab' with the warmest face which enlightens even more when he spots Lachlan. Youth has a remarkable effect on Moroccan people, it always added such delight to our adventures.

We reach the ruined agadir at the top. The wide windswept views were magnificent. You see the village below stopping just short of the granary, so many roofs collapsed and walls crumbling, the mud and straw buildings returning to their red earth beginnings.We briefly viewed the surrounding hammada(stony desert) and palmeraie as we ran for shelter from the more overwhelming winds.

Wind!, a much needed wake-up jolt for the boys.
The agadir at the top.

Climbing down with hast , we were anxious about the drive ahead to Marrakech, we quickly traversed through the souvenir shops. We stopped to take a little time to watch a local artist demonstrating a traditional form of painting, only found in Ait Ben Haddou. His watercolours were painted from just tea, saffron, indigo and water. The picture was then placed over a gas flame to add depth by caramelizing the tea. With all the tourist activity one can't really expect to catch that glimpse of 'real' Ksar life. We were fortunate enough to be shown inside our guides house were he lived with his extended family. Even with the knowledge that we weren't going to be buying a carpet, he happily showed us around. It was a privilege to see.

There are no pastures in Ait Ben Haddou

We were pretty tired after our climb to the agadir, luckily the heat and crowds weren't too bad. We now had to get back onto the road and make it into Marrakech, maybe not so easy?

New founded confidence of the final escape.

Life goes on amongst all the tourism.