175. Fort

AÏT BEN HADDOU, OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO

Aït Benhaddou (Berber languages: ⴰⵢⵜ ⵃⴰⴷⴷⵓ; Arabic: آيت بن حدّو‎) is an ighrem (fortified village in English) (ksar in Arabic), along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco. Most citizens attracted by the tourist trade live in more modern dwellings in a village on the other side of the river, although there are four families still living in the ancient village. Inside the walls of the ksar are half a dozen (Kasbahs) or merchants houses and other individual dwellings, and is a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture.

Aït Benhaddou has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987

...... so much to say, I think I'll do today as a photo essay

The keep at the top overlooks our camp

We walked about four hundred metres into town to cross the river.

From any angle it is a stunning place

Many stalls selling beautiful shutters

Someone must have washed out their brush in the river

The Atlas Mountains are impressive in the distance

The path up took us through covered lanes

As we climbed the views became stunning

Looking back to the Giantavan (far side)

Iris hiding from the heat

Cairn building at the keep

Looking toward the next village

Ciarn supplies

Roman fell into conversation with this lovely German couple,
Uli and Margarert. We spent some time talking to them
and the children ended up with Pringles

Iris spotted this critter and took some explaining for the rest of us to  see it also.
He is about two feet long (may not be a he of course)

We were able to look through a very large restored home

All the floors were on beams interlaced with bamboo so
Sprung when you walked which was disconcerting.

Neighbouring houses collapsed

The house was five stories high and must have had fifty rooms

These sheep are within the house that we bought the rugs from

This lovely man got us in the end.
Still reeling!

Roman had been keen to do the stepping Stoned all day.

After we crossed we were delighted to see a woman fall in.
Fyfe refused to photograph her struggling to get up which was
disappointing but does show that he is a better person than me!

Waiting while mum shops

Gotcha (they got us).
They are absolutely lovely, the Berber people.
We have not felt threatened or intimidated once while in Morocco.

Sun setting on the keep, from our camp