Ouarzazate (Aït Benhaddou), Marrakech and Casablanca

December 30, 2018 to January 3, 2019
001 - IMG_2360 12/29/2018 4:49pm - photo stop at Tinghir (aka Tineghir or Tinerhir), along the N10 route from Todra Gorge journeying southwesterly towards Ouarzazate...
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002 - IMG_2361 12/29/2018 Tinghir, another 2.5 hours before arriving Ouarzazate, our overnight stop...
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004 - P1160236 Good morning from Ouarzazate (war-zazat) 歐薩薩 - December 30, 2018 9:50am
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005 - P1160239 Ouarzazate, once an isolated military outpost during French Occupation, the surprisingly vibrant city nestled amongst a barren, rocky plateau south of the High...
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006 - P1160238 ... the Hollywood of Morocco or
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007 - P1160240 ... named for its proximity to the Atlas Mountain range stretching across northern Africa, Atlas Studios said to be the largest film studio in the world...
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008 - P1160241 ... the desert city of Ouarzazate, nicknamed the doorway of the desert, in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains...
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010 - IMG_2370 12/30/2018 10:26am - Aït Benhaddou, a fortified village along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco...
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011 - P1160247 Aït Benhaddou 12/30/2018
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012 - IMG_2383 12/30/2018 10:55am Aït Benhaddou
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013 - IMG_2385 Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, a traditional pre-Saharan habitat...
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014 - IMG_2396 ... the houses crowd together within the defensive walls, which are reinforced by corner towers...
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015 - IMG_2398 ... Ait-Ben-Haddou in Ouarzazate province, a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco...
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016 - IMG_2408 Aït Benhaddou 12/30/2018 11:19am
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017 - P1160295 12/30/2018 Ait-Ben-Haddou
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018 - IMG_2411 ... located in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas in the Province of Ouarzazate, the site of Ait-Ben-Haddou is the most famous ksar in the...
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019 - IMG_2412 ... the Ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture, mainly a collective grouping of dwellings...
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020 - IMG_2417 ... other than buildings and community areas, houses (some modest, others resembling small urban castles with their high angle towers and upper sections...
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021 - IMG_2419 ... an extraordinary ensemble of buildings offering a complete panorama of pre-Saharan earthen construction techniques...
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022 - IMG_2420 ... the site was also one of the many trading posts on the commercial route linking ancient Sudan to Marrakesh by the Dra Valley and the Tizi-n'Telouet Pass...
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