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- 25 feb 2024
- ☀️ 68 °F
- Hoogte: 4.183 ft
- MarokkoDrâa-TafilaletOuarzazateAït Ben Haddou31°2’39” N 7°7’46” W
Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
25 februari, Marokko ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Today was another long drive day to Marrakech from the Sahara, but again Mohamed kept us entertained with true stories of bad kings and disappeared kings and how Morocco became a French protectorate (long story), and many other interesting topics, hence the long write-up!
One of the things we talked about (and saw evidence of) was the Green Morocco Plan, a program the government started in 2008 as a way of increasing agriculture production, encouraging investment in the country and supporting farmers. The government is covering 60-80% of the cost of farm development. They used to give the money up front until an Italian guy came in and built one wall and then disappeared with the money. So now farmers have to start the work and supply receipts to get reimbursed. Crops include olive, almond and carob trees, and roses. Over 50% of the rose products go to France for perfume.
We passed by the Noor Solar Power Station (Arabic for light), currently the world's largest concentrated solar power plant. Inaugurated in 2016, the plant uses a range of technologies: parabolic mirrors and a tower for concentrated solar, tracking PV panels, and also various methods of solar storage. They are working on a cable to export solar electricity to the UK. Morocco gets over 300 days of sun per year.
Our route to Marrakech, which traveled between the High Atlas and Low Atlas Mountains, took us through
Ourzazate, affectionately known as “Mollywood.” The area’s scenery has provided atmospheric filming locations for films like The Jewel of the Nile, American Sniper, Indiana Jones and many more. Morocco’s movie industry dates back to 1930, and the annual Marrakesh International Film Festival draws big names.
Our main stop today was to the fortified city (ksar) of Ait ben Haddou, an 11th century caravan stop listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. None of the current buildings are believed to date from before the 17th century, but the city maintains its historic appearance thanks to Hollywood-funded cosmetic restoration. A number of years ago, Mohamed ran across Nicole Kidman dismounting a horse as they were filming “Queen of the Desert” here.
The old ksar suffered a fair amount of damage in the September 2023 earthquake. The outer walls were quickly patched up to keep the film industry and tourists coming, but the interiors are still structurally unsound. That didn’t keep many tourists away, as you can see in our photos, but Mohamed refused to take us in there, and we were happy to comply.
Just across the river from the historic site, a new city was built many decades ago, and it was in the new city that we got to visit a women’s rug collective and have a delicious $4 lunch in the owner’s home nextdoor.
Before we could get to Marrakech, we had to cross over the High Atlas Mountains once again, this time at the Tichka pass. This is the highest major mountain pass of North Africa, at nearly 7,500 feet above sea level. Fortunately, the roads are in great shape and we have an excellent bus driver!Meer informatie
Reiziger What a sight! That’s pretty incredible!