Ouarzazate is a city south of the Moroccan High Atlas, known as the gateway to the Sahara desert whose rocky surroundings appear in several films. The city is home to many studios and a movie museum.
To the north west lies the fortified village in red earth of Ait Ben Haddou which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Ait Ben Haddou is characteristic of the architecture of southern Moroccan tradition. At the top of a hill stands a collective attic, called agadir. The oldest buildings date from the 17th century. The village is a set of earthen buildings surrounded by walls, the ksar, type of traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses are grouped within its defensive walls reinforced by corner towers.
