Posts Tagged ‘Kasbah Taourirt’

Exploring Morocco’s Sahara Desert, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Merzouga Sahara Desert, Erg Chebbi Dunes

The Sahara Desert is a region worth exploring in Morocco. Morocco’s Sahara Desert is vast and  extensive comprising of four peak desert dunes referred to as Merzouga, Zagora, M’hamid and Erg Chegaga.  Each part of Morocco’s Sahara Desert offers travelers a unique experience. Merzouga is known for it’s vast and golden Erg Chebbi Dunes that are hundreds of meters high. The regions of Zagora and M’hamid are known for longer, rolling more rustic and earthy colored dunes. Their sister Sahara Desert, Erg Chegaga has a legend of being primarily for the die-hard Morocco adventure traveler who wants to say they made it to one of the last regions. Regardless of which dunes are visited on a Morocco Sahara Desert trip any traveler is guaranteed to be enchanted with the region they choose to visit.

With a limited amount of time available for a Morocco holiday, the best way to explore Morocco’s Sahara Desert region is to begin by starting in Ouarzazate. Ouarzazate is one of the leading provinces in Southern Morocco and a former French protectorate administrative center. Ouarzazate is also considered the door to the Sahara Desert and used as a starting point for all Sahara Desert trips and excursions.

To maximize a Sahara Desert regional experience a six day Morocco adventure is most advisable. Travelers can start their desert trip in Ouarzazate with a visit it’s famous Kasbahs. Ouarzazate is known for it’s UNESCO World Heritage site Ait Benhaddou Kasbah along with the Glaoui Kasbahs  called Kasbah Taourirt and Kasbah Tamadaght. Kasbah Tifoultilte is another Kasbah that is worth visiting for tea and a sneak inside at it’s magical interior.

Not to be missed when exploring Morocco’s Sahara Desert region of Ouarzazate is the Atlas Film Studios. The Atlas Film Studios is where David Lean filmed Lawrence of Arabia in the early 1960’s. Since then many famous directors have followed in his footsteps to exploit the magnificent scenery. International blockbusters shot here in recent years include: the French version of Cleopatra, Bertolucci’s Sheltering Sky, Scorsese’s Kundun, Gillies MacKannon’s Hideous Kinky, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Black Hawke Down, Oliver Stone’s Alexander The Great, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, and Penelope Cruz’s Sahara.

Camel Trek Sahara Desert

The finale of any Sahara Desert trip is a camel trek on the back of a dromedary into the either the Merzouga Erg Chebbi dunes or those located in Zagora, M’hamid or Erg Chegaga. Each region has several excellent bivouac camps both luxury and budget for an overnight stay. All those who visit the Sahara Desert are guaranteed a Tuareg guide or a Berber guide who will assist a Sahara journey across the silent, mystical dunes.

If time allows then a few other places not to be missed on a Sahara Desert exploration are the Rissani, Erfoud and the Berber Village of Ait Ouzzine. The Souk, the Madid Ksar and fresh bread called  Madfouna are three things not to miss doing in Rissani. For Erfoud, a pitstop to this capital of fossils is a must. For those who truly want to see the “real Morocco” then considering a bread baking lesson, henna time and lunch in the Berber  village of Ait Ouzzine with a Moroccan family is a must.

For more information about Morocco’s Sahara Desert region

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration in the USA at 1 (800) 787-8806 or in Morocco 1 (212)618-88-26-81 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

 

Exploring Moroccan Kasbahs In Ouarzazate, Kasbah Taourirt & Ait Benhaddou, Former Residences of Pasha Glaoui, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Kasbah Taourirt, Ouarzazate City Center

For anyone interested in touring Morocco’s kasbahs or ksars, I highly recommend starting with Kasbah Taourirt, the Pasha Glaoui’s former palace in Ouarzazate. Its location was strategic for trading routes and in the 1930’s when the Glaoui ruled the South was then considered one of Morocco’s largest Kasbahs. As a Moroccan traveler you can explore its nooks and crannies to discover its history and often local female painters who sell their art inside as well as the many quality silver shops just steps outside the Kasbah.

Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, Ouarzazate, A UNESCO World Heritage Site

The word kasbah has two meanings. The first meaning of a kasbah is a fortified village, such as the mountain village of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In some cases, the word is used to describe the old medina quarter of ancient cities throughout the Middle East and North Africa, such as in Algiers.  Kasbahs are essentially attached earthen houses that were built and coexist in a sprawling pattern, which also contain structures for other uses such as bath houses or granaries.  Built out of adobe (mud and straw), they were usually situated on a mountain hillside to make defense easier.

A Kasbah Taourirt window, as viewed from the inside: wide inside, and very narrow to the outside, to keep arrows out.

The second meaning of a kasbah, which refers to that  of Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate, was a place for the local caid (leader) to live which demonstrated a sign of wealth, and also as a place for defense when the city was under attack.  In this case,Kasbah Taourirt once served the dual purpose of being both an administrative center, as well as a fort.

For this reason, kasbahs were generally built with high walls and either no windows, or very narrow windows to keep out arrow attacks.

Kasbahs in southern Morocco are generally built on a rock base.  Rammed earth is used for the load-bearing walls, which are usually about two feet (60 cm) thick.

Construction of rammed earth walls by traditional methods

Lighter-weight adobe is used on the top story for ornamental work.

Kasbashs are generally started on a rectangular pattern, three stories high, with a tower rising from each corner.  Off of that, with time, the kasbah expands with additional rooms and passageways being built in a twisting, turning pattern, without any organized plan.  This is the beauty of exploring a kasbah, that one never knows whether around the next corner it will turn, or twist, or go up or down.

Kasbah Taourirt at Night

Kasbah Taourirt, located in the center of Ouarzazate, a Southern Sahara city and often referred to as “the door to the desrt” is one of the first kasbahs worth visiting on a Sahara Tour.  Kasbah Taouirt’s impeccable exterior architechture offers a good understanding of how kasbahs were constructed centuries ago and will enable you to have a better appreciation when you visit other kasbahs in Morocco such as Ait Benhaddou Kasbah and Kasbah Telout.

A passageway in Kasbah Taourirt

When visiting Kasbah Taourirt, make sure to have your Morocco Travel Agency provide a historical guide so that you are able to ask questions about the history of the era, construction and be guided throughout it’s maze like interior walls.

Pasha Glaoui–was once known as one of the richest men in the world.  Today some of his former residences are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Much of the Kasbahs in the Southern region of Morocco have been restored and while not to their original grandor can lay claim to being simply magnificent.  Most of the rooms Kasbah Taourirt are very plain however its interior architecture and exterior are majestic.  The fun in exploring any ancient Kasbah comes from wandering through the maze of passageways.  Kasbah Taourirt, like Glaoui’s other kasbahs, consists of approximately 300 rooms, and was built to house up to 1,000 slave sand family members.  According to a historical guide who mans the front entrance, Glaoui had four official wives and 20 legitimate children.  He also had 14 concubines and a total of 60 children all together.  Included in the kasbah rooms were  stables and garrisons, public reception and ceremonial rooms, domestic living quarters, as well as school rooms for the children.

Kasbah Taourirt Ceiling in an Official Reception Room

Many interesting architectural features can be found inside the Kasbah Taourirt.  Traditional dyes were used to color in the ceilings tiles that include saffron for the yellow, henna for the red, mint for the green, indigo for the blue, and kohl made from crushed galena (lead ore) for the black.  Other ceilings are made out of decorative thatched palm fronds and bamboo, which in some cases are painted, in others, plastered over.

Candle ledges, each about one meter high, in Kasbah Taourirt

In the photo above, it appears that windows might have been closed up, but this is not the case.  Found throughout the kasbah, these were ledges made for candles.

Kasbah Taourirt - one of the few decorated rooms

Many famous films include scenes that were filmed in Kasbah Taourirt.  Some are: Lawrence of Arabia; The Harem; Diamond of the Nile with Michael Douglas; Rules of Engagement; Prince of Persia; Terres du Lumieres; The Mummy; Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité; and Tés au Sahara (Italian).

When visiting the Ouarzazate, region, make sure to begin your tour at Kasbah Taourirt before exploring Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO world heritage site as this will give you a head start and background of appreciation that you can bring along during your Kasbah tour.

For more information about a Kasbahs, Waterfalls & Ruins in Morocco

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you toda

Kasbah Taourirt, Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou, Moroccan kasbah tours, Moroccan ksar tours, films made in Morocco, Lawrence of Arabia, The Harem, Diamond of the Nile, Rules of Engagement, Prince of Persia, The Mummy, Pasha Glaoui, UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Morocco, architectural features of kasbahs, kasbah construction, casbahs in Morocco, kasbahs in Morocco, meaning of kasbah, what is a kasbah, kasbah windows, kasbah window construction, rammed earth walls, pisé walls, adobe construction in kasbahs, origins of colored dyes the ancients used, saffron dye for yellow, henna dye for red, mint dye for green, indigo dye for blue, kohl made from crushed galena for black dye, Pasha Glaoui, Pasha Glaoui’s kasbah palace in Ouarzazate,Authentic Moroccan Tours, Americans Traveling to Morocco, Ancient Medinas in Morocco, Atlas Mountains Morocco, Berber Life, Ait Benhaddou, Ait Benhaddou Berber Village, Ait Benhaddou Tour Kasbah Ouarzazate, Ait Atta Sahara, Berbers Sahara Desert, Erfoud, Zagora, Bivouac Erfoud, Bivouac Zagora, Camel Trek, Camel Trek in the Sahara, Camel Trekking, Camel Treks from Fes to Marrakech, Merzouga, Camel Trek Tours from Fes to Merzouga, Dades Valley, Dades Valley Tour, Desert Dream, Discover Ouarzazate, Draa Valley, Dunes of Tinfo Zagora, Erg Chebbi Dunes Merzouga, Erg Chegaga Dunes, Erg Chegaga Dunes M’hamid, Erg Chegaga Sahara Desert Tour,  Kasbah de Taourirt Ouarzazate, Kasbahs in Skoura, Kasbahs in Southern Morocco, Marrakech to Chegaga Inland Desert, Berber Life, Berber Tours to Morocco, Berber Village Cultural Tour, Berber Village Tours, Berber Villages, Berbers Sahara Desert, Discover a Berber Village, Discover Berber Villages, Excursion to Berber Village, Ancient Medinas in Morocco, 4 x 4 Sahara Tours from Ouarzazate, 4 x 4 Sahara Tours from Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Kasbah de Taourirt Ouarzazate, Kasbahs in Skoura, Kasbahs in Southern Morocco, Morocco private tours, Morocco Holidays, Morocco Travel, Travel Exploration, Travel to Morocco