Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou
Every single North African city has Kasbah which is a customary administrative structures made out of mud and grass. According to (Morocco, 2010) in the book entitled “Beautiful planet”, the Ksar which are snuggled alongside the Atlas Mountains is amongst the most exciting of its kind. The Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou is found at the bottoms of Atlas Mountains. It is a natural entryway to the desert, 31 km northern part of the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate. “Ksar” is the name used to describe the fortified ethnic villages. The Ait-Ben-Haddou is a major model of one of such villages, dating back to the 17th century and was made out of completely local organic materials, with abundant red mud plaster. The artifacts are found on a small hill to the left shows of the Ounila River, covering the valley which long ago served as a prime trading itinerary traversing the Atlas Mountains heading to Marrakesh and beyond.
The Ksar are composed of a highly fortifying earthen walls characterized by angle towers as well as baffle gates, adjacent to a remarkable ensemble of dwellings, together with narrow passageways climbing the hillsides. Among the homes of the affluent merchants are grand multi-storey earthen-built buildings (called kasbahs) illuminated by quite intricate ornate motifs along with pointed corner towers looking like little castles. To the top of the hill are large bastioned granaries, also known as Agadir).
Many people admire the recent images of the Ksar, presenting its strategic scene at the Ounila Valley, as well as the striking veracity of the whole collection of mud buildings, shining hot red in the every early morning as well as late evening sun. A number of the homes have been inhabited lately; nonetheless the interior of one of the structures presented, depicted numerous small rooms within it, which consisted of a chamber for the household’s sheep. Towards the peak of the Ksar sits a spectacular sight in all ways, and the present city of Ait Ben Haddou on the opposite side or shows of the river; leastways double the scope of the prehistoric Ksar.
In the present day, the trans-Saharan trade along this itinerary has collapsed and Ait Ben-Haddou is sustained by money collected from the national revenue since it is a historical cenotaph, as well as through the contributions and efforts of parties taking part in the brisk tourist attraction commerce. The composition of the buildings leaves them awfully susceptible to weathering, as this was evident following the disintegration of many Ksour and Kasbahs in several areas in Morocco.
At the moment, even though only occupied by few families, tourists are fascinated by the population and diversity of its kasbahs, with some believed to date back to the 16th century. The kasbahs with their crenellated barbicans and the remarkable dark red pise of their utter walls are outstanding and among the best well-maintained historical artifacts in Morocco, with a prime sample of a communal granery.
Such is the exquisiteness and distinctiveness of the background the region has also developed to be popular as a environment for the film production, with great American as well as European film producers deploying the ancient city as a setting to various of popular movies such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Jewel and The Mummy (1999) among others.
Author: Raphael Macharia
Sources: Lonelyplanet/ Morocco/ Beautiful.Planet.Series. Morocco/
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