Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate ⵡⴰⵔ ⵣⴰⵣⴰⵝ Warzazat
Kasbah Taourirt in eastern Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate Location in Morocco
Coordinates: 30°55′N 6°55′W / 30.917°N 6.917°W / 30.917; -6.917
Country	Morocco
Region	Souss-Massa-Draâ
Elevation	3,776 ft (1,151 m)
Population (2004)
– Total	56,616

Ouarzazate (Berber: ⵡⴰⵔ ⵣⴰⵣⴰⵝ Warzazat, Arabic: ورزازات‎, lit. "noiselessly"), nicknamed The door of the desert, is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the Souss-Massa-Draâ of southern-central Morocco. Ouarzazate is located at an elevation of 1,160 metres (3,810 ft) in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains. To the south of the town is the desert.

The town is chiefly inhabited by Berbers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs and buildings for which the area is known. Ouarzazate is an important holiday destination in Morocco, as a base for excursions across the Draa Valley and into the desert. The fortified village (ksar) of Ait Benhaddou west of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ouarzazate area is also a noted film-making location, with Morocco's biggest studios inviting many international film companies to shoot their films. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Kundun (1997) and Legionnaire (1998) were shot here.

Etymology

Its name comes from a Berber phrase meaning "without noise" or "without confusion".

The souk

History

For a long time, Ouarzazate was a small crossing point for African traders on their way to northern Morocco and Europe. During the French period, Ouarzazate expanded considerably as a garrison town, administrative centre and customs post. It is home to the kasbah of Taourirt, which was the casbah of the former caïd and later owned by T'hami El Glaoui. The Krupps field gun which secured Glaoui power is displayed outside the kasbah today.

The area is also known for its Ouazguita carpets with geometric designs of red-orange on black background.

Climate

The town is hot and dry in summer, but can be very cold in winter, with icy winds coming from the High Atlas Mountains.

Climate data for Ouarzazate
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	65 (18)	68 (20)	74 (23)	81 (27)	88 (31)	98 (37)	104 (40)	102 (39)	93 (34)	81 (27)	72 (22)	63 (17)	82
Average low °F (°C)	34 (1)	38 (3)	44 (7)	50 (10)	56 (13)	63 (17)	68 (20)	69 (21)	62 (17)	53 (12)	45 (7)	36 (2)	52
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.3 (8)	0.2 (5)	0.5 (13)	0.2 (5)	0.1 (3)	0.1 (3)	0.1 (3)	0.2 (5)	0.6 (15)	0.6 (15)	0.6 (15)	0.5 (13)	4 (102)
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Film studios

Ouarzazate Film studios

Atlas Studios is one of the largest movie studios in the world. Several historical movies were shot here, including Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Lawrence of Arabia, The Man Who Would Be King, Kingdom of Heaven and Babel. It was also the location of an episode of the television series The Amazing Race 10.

Sights nearby Ouarzazate

The kasbah-town of Aït Benhaddou is nearby. Many excursions through the valley of the Draa River into the Sahara start from the city. These include trips to Zagora, an oasis town surrounded by palm tree plantations and a departure point for camel trains to Timbuktu, a journey that would take about 52 days. These days the border to Algeria is closed, stopping the Timbuktu route.

Mapping

Detailed maps are hard to obtain in Morocco. The French IGN mapping at a 1:100,000 scale has been reproduced by the Moroccan Division de la carte. These maps are often out of date and obtained only with special permission in Rabat. Soviet mapping on a 1:200,000 scale is available on the Internet, but these are also generally outdated and show the names of places in Cyrillic letters only.

A new series of maps are available, including the EWP and WCP (2008). Ouarzazate Region (Map). 1:160,000 Map and Guide. Atlas Mountains Morocco. Cartography by EWP (1st ed.). ISBN 9780906227992. http://www.ewpnet.com/maps/HI.htm. 

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  A street in Ouarzazate

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  Kasbah Ait Benhaddou

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  Kasbah Aksar

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  Oasis du Fint

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  The backside of Kasbah Taourirt

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  Ouarzazate old town

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  Film props at Atlas Studios

See also

• Tizi n'Tichka: The mountain pass that leads to Ouarzazate
• List of Movies shot in Morocco

External links

• Movies shot in Ouarzazate at IMDb

Coordinates: 30°55′N 6°55′W / 30.917°N 6.917°W / 30.917; -6.917