A city risen from the bowels of the earth, in the midst of the
desert in the south of the kingdom, a breath-takingly and elusively varied
setting. Burning sands, snowy peaks, palm groves and verdant oases, lofty ksours,
walled villages and sumptuous kasbahsthe idyllic wonder of a town from another
age.
The Ait Benhaddou Kasbah has
been
registered by Unesco as belonging
to the world patrimony of mankind
Ouarzazate is a city where different cultures and artistic
traditions meet, point of departure for the oases. It stands at the crossroads
between the Drâa valley-which reaches as far as Agadir-the Dadès which cuts
through the High Atlas-and the Ziz, which feeds Tafilalet's vast stretches of
palm grove before vanishing into the sands of Taouz. A pair of magnificent
kasbahs dazzle the visitor with their beauty-Taourirt and Aït Ben Haddou, 30
kilomètres from town itself Such is the reputation of these two architectural
marvels that they were chosen as locations for films such as "Lawrence of
Arabia" and "The Sheltering Sky". And, crowing glory, UNESCO has included the
two kasbahs in its world heritage programme. One can rest a while in one of
Ouarzazate's luxury hotels before venturing into the desert. A wealth of wonders
are on hand to delight the tourist.
One is held spellbound by Kelâa of M'Gouna, the valley's finest
rose gardens, by the ancient Kasbah of El Glaoui, perched upon its mighty crag,
by the Dadès gorge- a vast block of limestone cleft in two by some giant's
sword.
The Ziz valley punctuates the road to the desert. The Oued Ziz,
fringed with towering palms from which arise the ksours and the sublime kasbah
of lfri, forms a dazzling spread of emerald green. Then, stretching away from
the gates of Erfoud, the desert rules in all its naked splendeur.
http://www.ouarzazate.com/
scenes.
Among famous films shot around Ouarzazate we find The Gladiator,
Lawrence of Arabia and The Sheltering Sky. Ouarzazate has an
international airport.
Major American movies shot in Morocco:
 | "Othello" ( USA 1949) of Orson Welles with Suzanne Cloutier.
|
| “Patton" ( USA 1970) of Franklin Schaffner, with Georges
Scott and Karl Hadden. |
| "The Black Stallion Return" ( USA 1980) of Robert Dalva with
Kelly Reno. |
| "Jewel of the Nile" ( USA, 1985) of Lewis Teague, with
Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. |
| "The last Temptation of Christ " ( USA, 1987) of Martin
Scorsese with William Dafoe and Harvey Keitel. |
| "The Sheltering Sky" (USA 1989) of Bernardo Bertolucci, with
Debra Winger and John Malkovich. |
| "The Atlantide" (1990) of Bob Swain, with Anna Galiena,
Christopher Thompsoe. |
| “Abraham” (1993) of Joseph Sergent, with Barbara Harshey and
Richard Harris ; “Samson and Dalilah” (1996) of Roger Young with
Eric Thal and Elizabeth Hurley. |
| “David” (1996) of Robert Marcovich with Nathaniel Parker,
Jonathan Pryce and Gideon Turner. |
| "Kundun" ( USA 1996) of Martin Scorsese. |
| "Legionary" ( USA 1997) of Sheldon Lettich, with Jean Claude
Van Damme. |
| "The Mummy" (USA 1998) of Stephan Sommers. |
| "Rules of Engagement" (USA 1999) of William Friedkin with
Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones . |
| "Gladiator" (USA 1999) of Ridley Scott with Russel Crowe,
Oliver Reed and Richard Harris. |
| "The Mummy Return " (USA 2000) of Stephan Sommers.
|
| "Spy Game " (USA 2000) of Tony Scott with Brad Pitt and
Robert Redford. |
| "Black Hawk Down " (USA 2001) of Ridley Scott with Josh
Hartnett and Tom Sizemore. |
| "Exorcist Perquel" (USA 2002) of Paul Schrader with Lian
Neeson. |
| "Hidalgo" (USA 2002) of Joe Johston, with Vigo Mortensen,
Omar Charif, Zulikha Robinson and Said Taghmaoui . |
| "Live from Baghdad" (USA 2002) of Mick Jackson, with Robert
Weiner and Ingrid Formanek. |
| "Sahara" (USA 2003-2004) of Breck Eisner, Matthew Mc
Conaughey and Penelope Cruz. |
| "Kingdom of Heaven" (USA 2004) of Riddley Scott, with
Orlondo Bloom and Jeremy Irons. |
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