Ouarzazate Film Studios — Inside Morocco's 'Ouallywood'

Ouarzazate's rise as a filmmaking centre comes down to geography and light. Sitting where the High Atlas meets the desert, it offers an unusual range of backdrops within a short radius — sand and stone deserts, palm oases, red-rock gorges, snow-capped mountains and centuries-old earthen kasbahs — under famously clear, strong sunlight and a reliably dry climate that keeps shoots on schedule. Add relatively low costs and a deep pool of experienced local crew, and you have an ideal location base.

Directors have exploited that versatility for decades. The same region has stood in for ancient Rome and Egypt, biblical Judea, the Sahara of the First World War, Tibet and the invented world of Westeros, often within a few kilometres of one another. That is why locals gave the town its affectionate nickname, 'Ouallywood', and why the film industry remains one of Ouarzazate's economic pillars alongside tourism.

The town is home to two major studios. Atlas Studios, on the road out toward Marrakech, is the older and best known, a vast lot scattered with standing sets — Egyptian temples, Roman-style facades, aircraft and plaster statues — left behind by past productions. It runs guided visits that walk you among these decaying, sun-bleached sets, and part of the fun is spotting which film each one belonged to.

CLA Studios, a little further out, is the larger and more modern of the two and also offers tours, though access can depend on whether a production is filming. Between them, the studios provide sound stages, workshops and back-lots that have supported an enormous slate of international films and series over the years.

Tours are led by guides and typically last around 45 minutes to an hour. Sets are outdoors and largely unshaded, so the experience is as much about atmosphere and photographs as detailed interpretation — go with curiosity rather than expecting a polished theme-park attraction, and you will enjoy the slightly surreal air of these abandoned worlds baking in the desert sun.

The roll-call is genuinely impressive. Early epics such as Lawrence of Arabia used the surrounding deserts, and later blockbusters including Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Mummy, Prince of Persia and Kundun were filmed in and around Ouarzazate. On the small screen, Game of Thrones shot several Essos sequences in the region, using the kasbahs and desert near the town for its slaver cities.

Not every scene from these productions was made on the studio lots — many used the real landscapes nearby, above all the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou. That blurring of the built set and the natural location is precisely what makes the area so cinematic, and why a film-themed day here works best when it combines a studio tour with the genuine kasbahs and gorges that share the frame.

No film pilgrimage to Ouarzazate is complete without Aït Ben Haddou, the honey-coloured ksar about 30 km west of town. This UNESCO World Heritage fortified village, its earthen towers stacked up a hillside above a river, is one of the most filmed locations in Morocco and instantly recognisable from screen after screen. It is spectacular in its own right and easily combined with the studios in a single day.

From Aït Ben Haddou it is a short hop to the crumbling Glaoui palace at Telouet via the scenic Ounila Valley, and the whole area sits at the western end of the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. For a change of pace, the palm-filled Fint Oasis south of town has also served as a location and makes a lovely half-day counterpoint to the studio sets.

Ouarzazate is about four hours from Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, and most film-focused visitors stay at least one night to fit in a studio and Aït Ben Haddou without rushing. The studios sit on the edge of town and are easy to reach by taxi or car; buy tickets on arrival and check current tour times, as they are not rigidly fixed and can shift around active filming.

There is also a small cinema museum opposite the Taourirt Kasbah in the town centre, a modest but characterful stop displaying props and set pieces. Round out the day with a meal from our Ouarzazate restaurants guide, and if you are basing yourself in the oases, the Skoura kasbah hotels just east make an atmospheric alternative to sleeping in town.

Back in the town centre, opposite the historic Taourirt Kasbah, a small Museum of Cinema makes an easy add-on to a studio tour. It is a modest, slightly ramshackle place rather than a slick institution, displaying old cameras, props and set pieces gathered from decades of productions, but it has real character and adds context to the region's screen history. The Taourirt Kasbah itself, one of the old Glaoui strongholds, is worth a look while you are there.

A few tips make a film-focused visit better. Hiring a knowledgeable local guide is the single biggest upgrade, since on-site interpretation at the studios is limited and a good guide can point out exactly which set belonged to which film. Because the industry is still active, you may occasionally glimpse a production in progress or crews at work — a reminder that this is a working film centre, not just a museum of past glories.

Bear in mind that filmmaking remains one of Ouarzazate's economic mainstays alongside tourism, employing local crews, set-builders and extras between the big international shoots. Spending a little on a guided tour, the museum or a set photograph puts money back into that ecosystem, and it deepens the experience beyond simply photographing the sun-bleached facades on the edge of town.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable times to explore open-air sets and the exposed ksar of Aït Ben Haddou; summer midday heat is intense with almost no shade, so start early and carry plenty of water. Winter is fine by day but cold at night. Whatever the season, the low light of morning and late afternoon is far kinder for photographs and for climbing Aït Ben Haddou's towers.

A few practical notes: wear sturdy shoes and sun protection, bring cash for tickets and tips, and consider a local guide if you want the full behind-the-scenes context, since on-site interpretation is limited. Tour availability can depend on productions in progress, so if a specific studio is a must-see, ask locally on the day rather than assuming both will be open.