It was easy to think that the clash of swords of days looked past the clash of the village of AIT Ben-Haddou.
Ait Ben-Haddou sits at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco.
Many travelers take the four -hour ride here from Marrakesh, but I flew directly from Stansted to the nearby city of Ouarzazate, just a little of 30 minutes away.
It was my first stop on a week -long journey across southern Morocco and back to the traditional caravan route to the Sahara.
Just on the outskirts of AIT Ben-Haddou, our Hotel Riad Caravane offers a unique mix of Moroccan architecture and modern comfort with extraordinary food and service.
Belong to my-haddou, now Unesco The World Heritage Site once earned its money by trading salt.
But nowadays, Ait Ben-Haddou and nearby Ouarzazate are famous for something very different.
This region is locally known as Ouarzawood in tribute to its film evidence, and offers the background for many Blockbuster films and TV series, Including Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and it is successor Gladiator 2 on November 15.
Ait Ben-Haddou sits at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco
Ouarzazate is locally known as Ouarzawood in tribute to the film evidence
The region gave the background for many blockbuster films and TV series, including Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (in the photo) and it is successor Gladiator 2 on November 15
In the original Gladiator film, Maximus is sold in slavery and forced to train as gladiator.
Ait Ben-Haddou was the scene of his first fight. An arena was built for the film using traditional mud stones so that it was plugged into the existing architecture.
It is not just gladiator filmed here. Plays of Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and The Mummy also have its earthen buildings and streets.
The August sun was fierce when I entered the village, but it was easy to find shade behind its high walls. A complicated Warren of Alleyways houses a number of stores that sell many of the same goods that you would expect in the salt of Marrakesh.
It sits side by side with traditional homes and stalls that houses animals.
Like many of the residents, my village guide Muhammad also works as an extra when the film staff arrives. On a quick tour of his home, he proudly showed the sword and shield that he branded in Game of Thrones.
Thirty minutes drive from Ait Ben-Haddou, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, lies the Atlas Film Studios, one of the largest in the world, opened in 1983.
The Great and Good of Hollywood filmed here, including Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo di Caprio and recently the cast of Gladiator 2.
Thirty minutes drive from Ait Ben-Haddou, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, lies the Atlas Film Studios, one of the largest in the world, opened in 1983
When I left the film world, I went out of the city to Fint Oasis.
Even in the peak of summer drought, this tranquil, lush place had large pools of water in its tree -lined riverbed. Local women washed their clothes and dried them here and there on the bushes. I was excited to see turtles and frogs in the water.
Over the next few days, our journey gradually took me eastward and looked closer to the Sahara.
There were some unforgettable stops on the way. The Dades region, known as the valley of the roses, is filled with pink-colored villages.
The scent of the roses grown here hangs in the air.
Women from this environment, many who work with cooperatives, choose 700 tonnes of rose petals produced in rosewater each year in beauty products, cuisine and aromatherapy.
As we continue, we reach the impressive Todra Gorge, a series of Limestone River Canyons with pure cliffs rising to 300 meters.
That night I arrived in Merzouga, the gate to the Sahara, just before sunset.
When I left the film world, I went out of the city to Fint Oasis (in the photo). Even at the peak of summer, this tranquil, lush place has great pools of water in its tree -rich riverbed
Our beautiful hotel – Riad Serai – was literally at the edge of a part of the desert called very Chebbi.
This great sea of dunes formed by wind -blown sand extends as far as I could see.
I walk a short distance and sit down. All I could hear was the sound of the wind that had just started to pick up.
In the distance I was able to make up the silhouette of camels carrying riders over the peaks of the dunes.
The next day, a 4×4 took me deeper into the desert. I stayed in a luxury desert camp that night.
The driver navigates over the deep orange sand as if he is following an unseen highway.
We stopped looking for fossils.
The heat was hurting as we walked, looking at the rocky sand. Within minutes I found an ammonite. Just a few seconds later there was more.
I arrived in Merzouga (in the photo), the gate to the Sahara, just before sunset
When I arrived at the camp, I was greeted with traditional Moroccan coin tea.
The tents were something else – with air conditioning, a standalone bath and a very comfortable bed, it struggled at its best.
But the best had to come.
When the sun began to set, I climbed uncomfortably on a camel and led to the dunes to look at the sunset.
In the few minutes when the light disappeared, the sand color of orange, pink and then red slid.
Back at the camp, all the guests sat around the fire pit talking and listening to traditional live music.
When everything was quiet, I lay on my back and stared at the crystal clear night sky. I was told the chance to see a meteor that night was big.
Minutes later, a shooting star found a path directly on top.
Our beautiful hotel – Riad Serai – was literally at the edge of a part of the desert called very Chebbi (pictured)
An appropriate end to a true star -studded journey.
