Departing from Marrakech
Today was mostly a travel day, but it ticked off two places that I had been really looking forward to since booking this trip – the Atlas Mountains and Ait Benhaddou.
I’m not even sure why at this point, but for years visiting the Atlas Mountains had been on my bucket list. This trip was due to spend one night up in the mountains, in a small village, however the itinerary had to be changed due to the earthquake that happened a few weeks ago.
Due to there being a lot of damage up it was no longer possible to stay overnight in the Atlas Mountains, but we did still have a nice drive through them including stopping off at some great viewpoints, and crossing some spectacular mountain passes, that showcased the impressive scenery found in this part of the world.
The start of the journey was a little wet, however, with our morning coffee stop and our lunch break being obscured by some low cloud. Luckily, we didn’t get too wet.
The weather got better this afternoon, once we made it to the southern half of the Atlas Mountains, and we had a chance to appreciate how magnificent and beautiful they are.
This made up for the fact that we weren’t able to stay in the mountains overnight, as per the original itinerary, and made me decide that I’ll definitely have to return at some point.
After crossing the final mountain pass the scenery changed quite dramatically – it was now a lot drier meaning that we were definitely on our way towards the Sahara, where we will be staying in a couple of days. Tonight, however, our destination was Ait Benhaddou.
About Ait Benhaddou
The name might not be familiar to you, but you will definitely recognise the town if you have seen the movie Gladiator as this is where Proximo’s amphitheatre in Zuccabar was located in the movie, where Maximus was first brought after being captured. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, centred around a hill where all of the buildings are still maintained in the traditional style.
In addition to Gladiator, Gladiator 2 was also recently filmed here, as was Game of Thrones… although I’ve never actually watched that.
Arriving at our hotel
The hotel that we are staying in is on the main road, outside of the old town, but it has some spectacular views of the mountain and the surrounding area and I’m really happy to be here, somewhere I’ve known about and wanted to visit for 20 years.
It was quite windy today and so we were given two options – to visit the old town this evening as planned, or to visit it early tomorrow. We decided to do it this evening as planned – both as there was no guarantee that it would be any less windy tomorrow, and also so that we didn’t have to fit too much into our day tomorrow.
So, after a short time exploring the local area, I met back up with our group for the walk into the old town.
Visiting Ait Benhaddou
We stopped first at a local coffee shop co-operative, for some hot drinks and snacks, during which time we learnt about how co-operatives in Morocco give women, and people who would otherwise find it hard to find work, an opportunity for sustained employment.
The tea was great, as were the snacks, and we were kept company by the usual sight of the local cats who came to say hello. However, before long it was time to make our way up towards the summit.
On the way, our leaders told us about the history of the town, including the traditional building techniques that were used still to this day. On our way up we had a chance to see some of these techniques in action, where some builders were repairing a wall that had been damaged by the earthquake.
That damage was even more visible at the top of the hill where the famous grain store, which had been standing for centuries, was now in a state of ruin. This was sad to see, and at this point it’s not certain whether it will be repaired or whether it will be left as it is.
The view from the top, however, was breathtaking and you could see for miles. Despite the wind, it was a lovely place to visit.
We spent around an hour in the old town, checking out the old buildings – many of which are still in use as cafes, hotels, and private homes – before making our way back to our hotel.
On the way out, we went past the locations where both Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed. As a fan of Gladiator, it was surreal to be right where Proximo’s arena had been built – and where Gladiator 2 had recently finished filming.
Dinner tonight was in the hotel, although there isn’t much to do around here other than visit the old town and so I went up to my room as soon as dinner was finished to relax.
It’s still early, and I’m not tired, and so I’m very tempted to watch Gladiator on my phone since the WiFi here is quite fast and I think that it would be cool to watch the movie while in this town.