Aït Benhaddou

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou


State Party = MAR
Type = Cultural
Criteria = iv, v
ID = 444
Region = Arab States
Year = 1987
Session = 11th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/444

Aït Benhaddou ( _ar. آيت بن حدّو) is a 'fortified city', or ksar, along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco. It is situated in Souss-Massa-Draâ on a hill along the Ouarzazate River and has some beautiful examples of kasbahs, which unfortunately get damaged each rainstorm. Most of the town's inhabitants now live in a more modern village at the other side of the river; ten families however still live within the ksar.

Aït Benhaddou is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987ref|UNESCO and several films have been shot there, including;

*"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)
*"The Man Who Would Be King (film)" (1975)
*"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)
*"The Jewel of the Nile" (1985)
*"The Living Daylights" (1987)
*"The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988)
*"The Sheltering Sky" (1990)
*"Kundun" (1997)
*"The Mummy" (1999)
*"Gladiator" (2000)
*"Alexander" (2004)

External links

* [http://www.theculturedtraveler.com/Heritage/Archives/Ait_Benhaddou.htm Aït Benhaddou on theculturedtraveler.com]
* [http://www.geopanorama.de/gpearth/aitbenhaddou.htm Interactive 360° panorama of Ait Benhaddou (Java, 0,9 MB)]
* [http://www.explo-guide.com/Ait-Benhaddou-kasbah-Ouarzazate Travel tips to visit Aït Benhaddou]

References

# UNESCO World Heritage Sites list: [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/444 whc.unesco.org/en/list/444]