Drive through Atlas mountains and medival city of Ait-Benhaddou, a must visit in Morocco

Hi dear Hive community,

Welcome to the higher Atlas. Our journey started in Marakkesh where we took a bus for 80 DAM towards Ouarzazate. A small fact about this place is that it's full of movie studios which recorded Kingdom of Heavens, Gladiator, Game of Thrones and many others.

Driving through the Atlas mountains was an experience by itself, as the snow was freshly fallen that the mountains were so beautiful, that it's difficult to describe in words.

The journey normally takes around 3 hours, but due to snow and some accidents, we were 2 hours longer on the road. The bus driver informed us when to exit the bus as our goal Aït Benhaddou was 10 km away from the main highway. We were so happy and relieved leaving the bus, that we enjoyed walking for half an hour before starting hitchhiking.

Reaching the small town we found a room for 200 DAM (around 20€) and started exploring the beautiful old Kaspha. Locals told us quickly that some construction for next movies are ongoing, therefore many parts were closed for tourism. It was time of the sunset and the atmosphere was nice. We were hungry and found a nice place to have a delicious "tajin" made in a special clay pot. After the meal we enjoyed the stary night and went to sleep early to be able to catch the sunrise from the top of the mountain.

The sunrise was really one of a kind as it was freezing cold, but worth it as we were only people awake and enjoyed the mountains in the background. The contrasts and lighting was nice and inspiring for the soul.

On the way to the next adventure hitchhiking towards Merzouga we stopped by a local salesman. He prepared mint tea, which he called Berber whiskey. As well Steffen traded a pair of socks for a brass bracelet. Berber wanted his shoes and jacket. A tip for traveling in Morocco - bring your old electronics and trade them for things you like. Highly valuable are electric shavers and branded clothes of any kind.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
"In the absence of any written document from the oral tradition Ighrem Iqadarne (Attic potters) which is located at the top of the hill is consedered to be the first building in the Ksar. However, the current community village probably dates back to the early eighteenth century! Thanks to its strategic location in the valley of the Ounila this Ksar was able to play a vital role in the caravan trade between the regions of the former Sudan and the imperial cities of Morocco."
(This information is copied from a tourist board that we saw in the city)

Thank you for reading.

Hope you enjoyed our story. More about our journey in the next one.

Wish you a nice day!

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