Ait Benhaddou: Explore the Ancient Fortified Village
Ait Benhaddou: Explore the Ancient Fortified Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ever imagined yourself walking through a fortified village that bears the traces of the distant past? This is exactly what you will experience the moment you set foot in Ait Benhaddou.
In less than a four-hour drive out of Marrakesh, head out southeast and pass through winding paths in the mountain and desolate expanses of the desert to finally arrive at this popular fortified village.
The native Berbers of the region call the village a ksar. This is found tucked on what used to be a caravan route sandwiched between the Sahara Desert and Marrakesh. Ait Benhaddou has been gaining accolades because of the jaw-dropping clay architecture making it one of Morocco’s most historically fascinating and photogenic sites. Thanks to its undeniable beauty, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with film fanatics flocking to the area all year round.
Ait Benhaddou: Travel Down Memory Lane
While the oldest buildings in Ait Benhaddou that exist to this day have a rich history that goes as far back as the 17th century, the fortification of the site took place during the time of the Almoravids who were the rulers of Morocco during 11th century.
The structures that remain to standing to this day are probably a mere replica of the earlier original buildings. It makes the ksarone of the best epitomes of adobe architecture in the country. It is completely built out of rammed earth combined with wood, clay bricks, and straw.
Despite the fact that it is appealing to the eyes and cost-effective at the same time, this particular building style needs regular maintenance to ensure that they can endure desert winds and annual winds.
This region of Morocco is often dotted with Kasbahs and ksars, which lets the settlement blend in perfect harmony with the scorched environment. Similar to the desert itself, this boasts of lovely beige and tan colors during daytime and turn into ocherand rose during dusk and dawn’s soft light.
Ait Benhaddou served as a point of reference for the travelerswho transport spices, salt, slaves, and gold along the primary trans-Saharan trade route leading through the pass of Tizin’Tichka to Marrakesh Imperial City.
Kasbah in the Present Day
There remains to be inhabitants in Ait Benhaddou’s historic village but there are only a handful of remaining Berber families. With the waning importance of the ksar due to the trans-Saharan caravans being gone, the place no longer gets the maintenance it needs. As a result, it started showing signs of the effects of the harsh weather conditions in the desert.
Most of the inhabitants have also relocated to the residences that were easier to look after and more contemporary found right on Ounila River’s opposite side. They continued living there, with their livelihood primarily coming from agriculture and tourism.
But even though the Air Benhaddou is almost nearing total abandonment, it never loses its importance in the tourism and culture sectors of the country. It was salvaged from turning into a shabby place in 1987 when it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
