Skip to navigation

Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Morocco: Aït Benhaddou

The stunning ksar at Aït Benhaddou
The stunning ksar at Aït Benhaddou is surely one of the most evocative buildings in the whole of Morocco

Once into the High Atlas mountains, the road weaves through eerie moonscapes that manage to combine the red hue of Australia's Kimberley and Pilbara regions with high flat-topped valleys of rock that recall Monument Valley in the USA. The driving is hot, dusty and draining – at least, it is in June – but it's worth it, for the High Atlas are home to the famous kasbahs and ksars of ancient Morocco1.

The view of the Oued Ounila valley from the ksar
The view of the Oued Ounila valley from the ksar's windy summit
The view of surrounding landscape from the ksar at Aït Benhaddou
Looking east from the ksar
A close up of the ksar at Aït Benhaddou
The ksar is a whole town made of mud

1 The isolated castles and fortified towns of the desert, respectively.