Ouarzazate: the Largest Hollywood Set Outside America

posted on: Sep 3, 2021

By Ruqyah Sweidan / Arab America Contributing Writer

Ouarzazate is the capital city of the Ouarzazate Province in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, located in south-central Morocco. Ouarzazate sits in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains. The area is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Morocco. This high status is due to its historical landmarks, golden desert scenery and, most of all, its blockbuster-film location! The studio at Ouarzazate has been the setting of numerous Hollywood and international films, earning it the name “Africa’s Hollywood”.

Physical Structures of Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate is rich in attractive natural elements such as large mountains, oases, dunes, deserts, and alluring Kasbahs (fortresses) and ksours (palaces). It is hence known as “the valley of thousands of Kasbahs,”. Ouarzazate is home to the Kasbah Taourirt and the UNESCO World Heritage site Ait Ben-Haddou. The Kasbah served as a defensive fort for the Pasha El Glaoui. The structure is built on a rock base, with high thick walls and narrow windows, which protected against arrow attacks. The palace has 300 rooms, with many towers and turrets rising out. Within the Kasbah, are more than 20 riads, which are traditional Moroccan houses built around a central courtyard.

The Ksar of Ait Ben-Haddou was built in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains. The Ksar consists of a group of earthen dwellings protected by high walls. This architecture was built in a traditional pre-Saharan style. The Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou has preserved its earthen construction, which made it perfectly adaptable to the shifting climate and environmental conditions. In 1987, the Ksar was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, gaining the status of the most famous Ksar in the Ounila Valley.

Morocco’s Hollywood Productions

Just five kilometers west of Ouarzazate is Morocco’s Atlas Film Studios. Established in 1983 by Moroccan entrepreneur Mohamed Belghmi. The 322,000-square-feet film location provided the backdrop of more than twenty of Hollywood’s most successful films. Even before the creation of the Atlas Film Studios, Ouarzazate was a filming site for the Oscar-winning “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962. The Ksar Ait Ben-Haddou was an authentic natural environment that perfectly fit the vision for any desert-based film. The area is also very practical in that the fortified palace provides closed filming, the atmosphere of the Arabian Peninsula, and crew-friendly working environment.

Moreover, several scenes of the popular and critically-acclaimed HBO series “Game of Thrones” were filmed in Ouarzazate. Some of the show’s iconic fiction areas, Yunkai, the Port of Pentos and Astapor, were backdropped by Ksar Ait Ben-Haddou and Moroccan coasts. Another smash-hit, Oscar winning movie that was shot in Ouarzazate is “Gladiator.” The desert was pivotal in showcasing a wild, tough Roman imperial environment.

The 1997 movie “Kundun” is a biographical about the 14th Dalai Lama, the political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Not only did the crew utilize the natural features of Ouarzazate, they also worked with Moroccan builders to recreate authentic Tibetan features. They built the streets of the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the entrance of the Dalai Lama’s residences, the Potala Palace, and the Norbulingka.

The Mummy is yet another thrilling and suspenseful movie about the adventurer Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Egyptologist Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, where they stumble upon a 3,000-year-old tomb. Rick and Evelyn, along with other archaeologists, end up setting loose an evil mummy. Although “The Mummy” is an Egyptian story, due to the political climate in Egypt at the time, the producers decided Morocco, Ouarzazate was the next best option for filming.

The Enchanting Film Making Space

The pure beauty of the Ait Ben-Haddou fortress and the surrounding mountains, cliffs, and huge sand dunes made Ouarzazate the perfect filming location. Ouarzazate has become one of the most prominent and important shooting locations in Morocco and the world, with several blockbuster movies under its belt. It is, deservedly, a globally-recognized cinematic site.