THE HIGH ATLAS (Morocco)
17 October 2017
17 October 2017
The greatest mountain range in North Africa has historically acted as a physical barrier between the northern plains and the pre-Sahara, and its Berber populated valleys have been and remain, living remotely to the rest of Morocco.And yet, when you're in these mountains then you could probably understand why they choose to do so.
Utterly beguiling and unique in its beauty, I recall my mother totally and utterly falling in love with this part of Morocco. The range of colours and the shifting landscape captures you unaware. Again, there's a power aura and attraction in this area that seems to be consistent with a lot of Morocco, that something intangible that both captures your attention and leaves you with an indelible memory that lingers long after the event.
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
Inga and I took a day trip into the mountains with dual objectives of seeing Ait Ben Haddou and experiencing the mountains.
The village, Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, has movie star qualities. Indeed I'm sure many people have encountered a seen or two with the villages as its star without even knowing its name or where it was located. Some of its film credits include Jewel of the Nile (1985), The Living Daylights (1987), Gladiator (2000), Alexandar (2004) and also appearances in Game of Thrones.
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
Ait Ben Haddou - High Atlas - Morocco
A great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture, its brown as earth coloured buildings pile up spectacularly on a low hillock above a shallow reed strewn river which needs to be crossed from the village on the other side. Their impressive stature is even more discernible up close when you get an appreciation of both their volume and height, underlying the fact that their manner of construction was primarily to serve as a prime line of defence.
High Atlas - Morocco
High Atlas - Morocco
High Atlas - Morocco
We were also fortunate enough to make a visit to the Draa Valley during this excursion. The Draa is a 125km belt of date palm oases that eventually merges into the Sahara near the village of M'Hamid. Inga of course flipped out at the idea of seeing real date palms and took the opportunity to stop, climb one and eat dates right off the tree. An impressive site in itself. To me however it was the greenery which springs up along the creek/river that provides a wonderfully vibrant and lush colour as a stand out amongst the deep, rich browns which predominate the landscape. The contrast is almost unbelievable is the shift from one colour palette to the other is not gradual but quite distinct.
Draa Valley - High Atlas - Morocco
Draa Valley - High Atlas - Morocco
It's a fabulous area of Morocco and certainly needs more than a single day outside of Marrakech. Perhaps one day in the future we'll be able to take a week and travel more intensely in these parts because the landscape if simply too rich and impressive not to dedicate more time to.
