History / Overview
Aït Ben Haddou has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
It used to be a village along the old caravan route from the Sahara Desert to Marrakech. There is a more modern city across the river where most people live. However, there are still a few families that live in the original Aït Ben Haddou village.
Many Hollywood movies have been filmed here, such as “The Mummy,” “Gladiator,” “Babel,” etc. The village boasts this with pride and a sheet with a list of all movies and TV shows can be found hanging up on one of the city walls.
Getting There
From Marrakesh, I booked a 3-day desert tour for about 700MAD (~US$73) and one of the stops was Aït Ben Haddou. If you don’t have 3 days, I’m sure there are other 1-2 days tours as well – just ask around while you’re in Marrakesh.
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