From Hollywood to Ouarza-Wood

Today we brought Hollywood (in the form of Em) to the Moroccan equivalent (in the form of a visit to Ouarzazate). Ouarzazate is the movie making capital of Morocco and plays the background for many different films made around the world. Whenever a director wants to make a film set in a Middle Eastern or Sub-Saharan country that wouldn’t necessarily be safe for the stars and crew, they will often come here to film. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Passion of Christ, Prince of Persia, Black Hawk Down, and Romancing the Stone or tv shows like Game of Thrones, Prison Break, and Wheel of Time, have all filmed scenes in Ouarzazate or the surrounding areas.  

Our group was able to tour Atlas Studios and see where the magic happens. Our guide showed us various production sets that were created for one film or show, and left behind to be reused for many other films after. Directors can choose to tear their sets down after they’re done using them or they can let the studio keep them for a discount on the use of the studio and creation of the original set. The owner of Atlas Studios is pretty smart in that once he owns a set, he will sell the use of that set to future directors, with the clause that they have to change the small details so they’re not plagiarizing another’s creative design. When you have medieval village 10 feet from Karnak temple in Egypt, which is 10 feet from a Roman house, it’s easy to entice a lot of people to come work with you. 

Atlas Studios, space-wise, is one of the largest film studios in the world. What I also thought was pretty cool is that the studio utilizes many of the local residents from the area and pays them well for their services. If sets need to be built or altered, then it’s the local craftsmen that do the work. If you need villages to fill a 16th century marketplace, then it’s locals that come in to hawk vegetables or mimic foraging irons.

On our tour, we got to see where Gerald Butler was sold into slavery in Gladiator (a much smaller village square than movie magic made it appear in the film), where Christ carried his cross through the city, and where a Black Hawk helicopter crash landed in “Somalia”.  

The sets are made with plaster walls and paint, and CGI or editors add realism to these stage props that look up close as if they came from the local high school’s Glee club. Seeing these sets makes it even harder for me to imagine being a actor. I give them all major props because I’d be laughing too hard trying to be realistic when everything looks like a toddler’s play set. We did give it a try though as our guide was quite the mini film maker, devising and shooting two 45 second movies on our phones. He had a steady hand and used his phone to add a musical soundtrack to two short videos created on the Egyptian sets. In one film we were stoic sentries inside Karnak and in the other, doors were opened and servants presented the queen (Em), who welcomed the visitor to their home.

The studio tour was a lot of fun (even in the sweltering heat), but soon we returned to our van and headed to Aït Benhaddou; our home for the night. Aït Benhaddou is also famous with Hollywood, as this almost completely intact earthen Ksar (called ighrem in this region) nestled into a cliff side can represent many different locations that film makers may want. The sight is also a huge tourist attraction. 

Aït Benhaddou is believed to have been fortified in the 11th century, although, all of the current building are believed to have been constructed in the 17th century or later; using the same methods and designs as had been used for centuries before. The city was inhabited by the Jews and Muslims, who lived side by side in relative harmony and worked together to protect their city from other Ksars or potential invading tribes. 

Inside the fortified walls of the city are homes of various sizes that stretch up the mountainside via well formed streets and alleyways. Stairs of varying depths (to confuse invaders) will guide you to the top plateau that offers a 360 degree view of the valley (and it’s pretty spectacular). Also on the plateau is a small communal granary or guard tower (depending on who you talk to). 

It’s estimated that 800 to 1000 people lived in the city. Most of those families have migrated across the river bed (dry except for flash floods and the rainy season) that lies directing in front of the Ksar, to the other bank. There they’ve built more modern dwellings and have better access to schools and surrounding towns. A bridge built in 2011 that connects the old city to the new city, makes passage between the two much easier now than back in the day. Currently, there are only about 8 families that still live full time within the walls of Aït Benhaddou. Many of the other ex-full time residents still maintain their homes there and use them as tourist shops or restaurants during the day and then return across the river to their new homes in the evening. 

Near sunset we wandered across the dry river bed and up the flights of stairs that guide you through this ancient town to the plateau at the top. It is a really amazing piece of history.