Ouarzazate Guide: 'Ouallywood', Kasbahs & the Door of the Desert

The Door of the Desert

Cross the High Atlas south from Marrakech and the green falls away into ochre and stone. The first town on the desert side is Ouarzazate — nicknamed the "door of the desert," and, improbably, one of the most-filmed places on Earth. If you take almost any Sahara tour from Marrakech, you'll pass through here, so it's worth knowing what you're looking at.

Why They Call It "Ouallywood"

Ouarzazate has been Hollywood's stand-in for the ancient world for over half a century. The vast Atlas Studios on its edge, plus the surrounding kasbahs and desert, have played ancient Egypt, Rome, Jerusalem, Tibet and more. The credits are a genuine roll-call: *Lawrence of Arabia*, *The Man Who Would Be King*, *The Last Temptation of Christ*, *Gladiator*, *Kingdom of Heaven*, *The Mummy*, *Babel*, and *Game of Thrones* — Daenerys walked Slaver's Bay here.

Hence "Ouallywood." You can tour the studios and wander standing sets — Roman streets, Egyptian temples, pharaonic statues baking in the sun. It's cheerfully, obviously fake up close, and all the more fun for it. For the wider story of Morocco on film, see our guide to Morocco's UNESCO film locations.

What to Actually See

• Atlas Studios (and the smaller CLA Studios) — the film sets and props, the reason most people stop.
• Taourirt Kasbah — a handsome, restored earthen kasbah in town, once the seat of the powerful Glaoui family; a real one, not a film set.
• Aït Ben Haddou — the showstopper, about 30 minutes away: the UNESCO-listed fortified village that is itself a constant film location and one of the most beautiful sights in Morocco. Full details in our Aït Ben Haddou guide.
• Fint Oasis — a lesser-known green pocket nearby, a lovely short detour if you have time.

How It Fits Your Trip

Be realistic: Ouarzazate is a great overnight and gateway, not a multi-day city. Its magic is location. It sits about 4 hours from Marrakech over the stunning Tizi n'Tichka pass, right where the mountains hand you over to the desert — which is exactly why both film crews and desert tours use it as a launch pad.

On a typical Sahara trip it's the natural first-night stop or a lunch-and-studios halt on the way to the dunes at Zagora or Merzouga. Our 3-day Sahara tour from Marrakech and the Marrakech to Fes desert route both pass right through, so you get Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou woven into a bigger journey rather than as a separate trip.

The Verdict

Don't build a holiday around Ouarzazate — build it around the desert, and let Ouarzazate be the characterful doorway you pass through, camera in hand, on the way. Between the film sets and the kasbahs, it's one of the more purely *fun* stops on the road south.

👉 See Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou on a Sahara tour — the film studios, the great kasbahs, and the dunes beyond, all on one journey with guides who know the stories behind the sets.