Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ouarzazate
Strategically located Ouarzazate (war-zazat) has gotten by largely on its wits instead of its looks. For centuries, people from the Atlas, Draa and Dadès Valleys converged to do business at Ouarzazate’s sprawling Taourirt Kasbah, and a modern garrison town was established here in the 1920s to oversee France’s colonial interests. The movie business gradually took off in Ouarzazate after the French protectorate left in the 1950s, and "Ouallywood" movie studios have built quite a resume providing convincing backdrops for movies supposedly set in Tibet, ancient Rome, Somalia and Egypt.
Since King Mohammed VI started visiting here and fixing up the roads, Ouarzazate has been developing quickly with vast new residential areas marked out to the south of town along with new condo-hotel complexes, a spacious pedestrian plaza and well-stocked supermarkets. With scores of agencies offering bikes, motorbikes and camels, this is an ideal launching pad for mountains, desert and gorges.
Explore Ouarzazate
- TTaourirt Kasbah
Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…
- TTifoultoute Kasbah
Built in the 17th century and extended by the Glaoui clan in the 18th, this commanding hilltop kasbah has now been converted into a privately owned…
- AAtlas Film Corporation Studios
The first ‘Ouarzawood’ studio, established by Mohammed Belghimi in 1983, displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile,…
- MMusée de Cinema
This small cinema museum is housed in a former studio and exhibits a collection of old film sets, props and cinematic equipment, which visitors are mostly…
- BBarrage El Mansour Eddahbi
This large lake east of Ouarzazate is popular with birdwatchers (and birds).
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ouarzazate.
See
Taourirt Kasbah
Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…
See
Tifoultoute Kasbah
Built in the 17th century and extended by the Glaoui clan in the 18th, this commanding hilltop kasbah has now been converted into a privately owned…
See
Atlas Film Corporation Studios
The first ‘Ouarzawood’ studio, established by Mohammed Belghimi in 1983, displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile,…
See
Musée de Cinema
This small cinema museum is housed in a former studio and exhibits a collection of old film sets, props and cinematic equipment, which visitors are mostly…
See
Barrage El Mansour Eddahbi
This large lake east of Ouarzazate is popular with birdwatchers (and birds).
Guidebooks
Learn more about Ouarzazate
Uncover the heart of travel and be inspired to see new sights with one of Lonely Planet’s in-depth, award-winning guidebooks.