قصبة أيت بن حدو

( Aït Benhaddou )

Aït Benhaddou (Berber languages: ⴰⵢⵜ ⴱⴻⵏⵃⴰⴷⴷⵓ; Arabic: آيت بن حدّو) is a historic ighrem or ksar (fortified village) along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh in Morocco. It is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

 Mosque in the modern village where most residents now live, across the valley from the old ksar

The site of the ksar has been fortified since the 11th century during the Almoravid period.[1][2] None of the current buildings are believed to date from before the 17th century, but they were likely built with the same construction methods and designs as had been used for centuries before.[3] The site's strategic importance was due to its location in the Ounila Valley along one of the main trans-Saharan trade routes.[3] The Tizi n'Tichka pass, which was reached via this route, was one of the few routes across the Atlas Mountains, crossing between Marrakech and the Dra'a Valley on the edge of the Sahara.[2][3] Other kasbahs and ksour were located all along this route, such as the nearby Tamdaght to the north.[1]

Today, the ksar itself is only sparsely inhabited by several families.[2] The depopulation over time is a result of the valley's loss of strategic importance in the 20th century. Most local inhabitants now live in modern dwellings in the village on the other side of the river, and make a living off agriculture and especially off the tourist trade.[2][4] In 2011 a new pedestrian bridge was completed linking the old ksar with the modern village, with the aim of making the ksar more accessible and to potentially encourage inhabitants to move back into its historic houses.[5]

The site was damaged by the September 2023 earthquake that struck southern Morocco. An early assessment of the damage reported cracks and partial collapses, with risk of further collapses.[6]

^ a b "Ait Ben Haddou travel". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2020-04-16. ^ a b c d "Rough Guides - Aït Benhaddou and around". Rough Guides. Retrieved 2020-04-16. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Jacobs, Harrison. "One of the most famous places in the world is a tiny desert town in Morocco where everything from 'Game of Thrones' to 'Gladiator' was filmed". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-04-16. ^ "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - State of Conservation (SOC 2014) Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou (Morocco)". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-02-10. ^ Hamri, Salma (13 September 2023). "27 sites historiques ont été gravement endommagés par le séisme du 8 septembre selon un premier constat". Médias24 (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
Photographies by:
Abdel Charaf - CC BY-SA 4.0
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