Ouarzazate

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Overview

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.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Taourirt Kasbah

Ouarzazate

Unlike other Glaoui-era kasbahs, Taourirt escaped ruin by moonlighting as a Hollywood backdrop (Sheltering Sky, Gladiator, Prince of Persia) and…

Atlas Film Corporation Studios

Ouarzazate

The first ‘Ouarzawood’ studio, established by Mohammed Belghimi in 1983, displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile,…

Tifoultoute Kasbah

Ouarzazate

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…

Musée de Cinema

Ouarzazate

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…

Barrage El Mansour Eddahbi

Ouarzazate

This large lake east of Ouarzazate is popular with birdwatchers (and birds).

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