The road of the thousand Kasbahs in
Morocco is a long route in the south of the country dotted with hundreds of kasbahs, the ancient fortified Berber castles, that retraces the route marked by the caravans that from Morocco went to Sudan and Mali; it starts from
Marrakesh and passes through
Ouarzazate to Zagora or to the village of M'Hamid, the last oasis before the infinite expanse of sand and dunes of the Sahara.
Kasbah is a word that comes from the Arabic qasaba which means citadel. In southern Morocco the kasbahs are usually castles belonging to a single family and mostly located in the High Atlas, in the oasis and along the Draa, Dades and Ziz rivers. They were built starting from the 17th century, although some of them are no more than 100 years old. All are built with the "pisé" technique (straw and small pebbles cemented with mud) or in raw earth and decorated with
Berber motifs.
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| The route of the Thousand Kasbahs, Morocco |
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| Kasbah, Morocco |
Following
our train trip among
the imperial cities of Morocco, we felt the need to explore a bit of rural Morocco, so we rented a car in Marrakesh and drove towards the desert and the famous
Erg Chebbi dune, and we decided to do so following the famous route of the Thousand Kasbahs.
The circuit will immediately immerse you in the heart of ancient Morocco. It is a breathtaking road winding its way through the High Atlas Mountains offering a contrast of landscapes and experiences without equal in the heart of the Amazigh land.
In a few days, you will pass from the highest snow-capped peaks of the kingdom to its most fertile palm groves and the most astonishing canyons and waterfalls passing by douars, ksars, and Kasbahs frozen in time, to finish on the mythical dunes of the Sahara. On the way for a road trip from
Marrakesh to Merzouga!
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| Tinghir oasis and kasbah, Morocco |
Ouarzazate offers one of the privileged starting points to discover this part of the country. with the Kasbah Taourirt, a real jewel and the first kasbah we encountered, built in the 1700s along the gold road that led from Timbuktu to Marrakech.
The Kasbah surprises with its charming proportions and the serene atmosphere that emerges from this place. The exterior walls are elegantly decorated and some of the rooms decorations still demonstrate the ancient signs of wealth.
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| Kasbah Taouirt, Ouarzazate |
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| Kasbah Taouirt, Ouarzazate |
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| Kasbah Taouirt, Ouarzazate |
Following our way towards Tinghir on the National road 10, the route forms sharp curves between the abandoned kasbahs. A short distance from the oasis of Skoura, before the spectacular Dades and Tondra waterfalls, is this famous Amridil Kasbah, known throughout the country not only for having been chosen, like Ait Benhaiddou and Taourirt, as a set for many films, but also for being chosen as kasbah model for the 50 dirham banknote. In fact it is a beautiful kasbah, well restored and well maintained, now transformed in a museum that can be visited with only 20 dirhams.
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| Amridil Kasbah, Skoura |
Taking the southeast direction, from Merzouga towards Marrakesh, you will arrive the citadel of Agdz in a few hours. The village opens onto the Draâ valley, a magnificent oasis on the edge of the desert that extends over a narrow strip of land about 200 kilometers long to the city of M’Hamid.
Beside other kasbahs, the area is also filled with ksour (ksar, in the singular), fortified villages surrounded by high walls, like the famous and Tamnougalt one.
Erected in the 16th century, the historic capital of the Berber Mezguita tribe, the fortified village of Tamnougalt is one of the oldest ksours still standing in the Drâa valley. Due to its strategic position, at the southern exit of Agdz, the ksar had a a defensive function at that time when the rivalries between Berber tribes were lively, in order to protect the Drâa valley against invasions of looters, as being located on the caravan route from Marrakech to Timbuktu.
Not far from the Ksar, are the kasbah of the caïd and the kasbah Tamnougalt, this latter built at the beginning of the 20th century, with its awe-inspiring view of the palm grove and the valley.
Despite its imposing appearance and its architectural finesse, Tamnougalt, after the loss of its functions and the departure of the Jewish community which resided there, is now in a state of advanced degradation.
Approximately an hour away from Agdz, is the popular
Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most famous tourist sites in southern Morocco. Built on a scenic position overlooking the valley, technically, Ben Haddou is a ksar, a fortified village surrounded by a wall, with a monumental entrance which includes dwellings within it, while a kasbah is a building with a square plan and a tower at each corner.
This fortified village, or ksar, once a staging post for caravans going down to Sudan, is very well preserved, and has been listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and became particularly popular for being one of the locations of Game of Thrones.
The beauty of this site resides in my opinion above all in its external aspect. It is very photogenic, for its structure and its earthen construction of ocher color.
The ascent on foot in the village is rather pleasant and interesting, it allows you to explore the narrow alleys and the architectural details and to access to the top of the ksar, at the level of the former collective attic, where you can enjoy the view of the village below and the Atlas chain.
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| Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Morocco |
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| Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Morocco |
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| Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Morocco |
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| Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Morocco |
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The route of the thousand kasbahs is today one of the main tourist attractions in southern Morocco. There are lots of organized tours that propose itineraries of the area, however, many travelers who end up seeing only a couple of them, the best known, those found on all advertising brochures.
Indeed, many kasbahs are abandoned or off the beaten path and some are well hidden or difficult to access.But if you pay attention and make some research, you may be able to find little gems.
Personally we found a couple of them, one in Tinghir, and another somewhere on the road, and we really enjoyed the chance to explore them by ourselves and discover the architectural details of these charming constructions.
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| Kasbah, Morocco |
TIPS:
This on the road trip is a quite comfortable one. The roads are more or less well maintained and well marked. There is no need to go on a tour or to rent a 4x4 or an organized tour and there are enough good options both to sleep and to eat along the road.
However I would just suggest to buy a full insurance for your rental car, that covers window screens as well, to avoid the problem we had with our windshield that was broken by a tiny rock, and also, of course, to be careful when driving on narrow, winding mountain roads that you may share with trucks and coaches.
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