The kasbahs of southern Morocco: Aït Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate and the Dades Valley

Between the High Atlas and the desert, southern Morocco is dotted with buildings of raw earth that seem to grow out of the landscape itself. These are the kasbahs and ksour, and seeing them is one of the reasons to reach the Sahara by the southern route.

Kasbah and ksar: what is the difference?

A kasbah is a fortified house, usually belonging to an important family, with towers at its corners. A ksar (plural ksour) is a whole walled village, with houses, granaries and shared spaces. Both are built from earth, straw and wood, a technique that keeps the inside cool in summer but needs constant upkeep to withstand the rain.

Aït Ben Haddou

The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou is the best-known example: a fortified village stepped up a hillside beside the Ounila river, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its outline appears in many films and series, and it deserves an unhurried stop.

Ouarzazate and Skoura

In Ouarzazate, the Taourirt kasbah stands right in the town centre. A little further east, the Skoura palm grove keeps several kasbahs among gardens and palm trees, a good example of how these buildings lived alongside the oasis.

The Dades Valley

The Dades Valley is known as the valley of a thousand kasbahs for the many earthen buildings that line the river between the fields. Higher up, the valley narrows into gorges of reddish rock.

How to include them in your trip

Desert routes that start in Marrakech cross this region. The 4-day Sahara route, for example, passes Aït Ben Haddou and the Dades Valley before reaching the dunes, and the 3-day route ending in Marrakech also travels through the south. If you would like more time for the kasbahs, tell us and we will adapt the proposal.