4 days ago
I visited the location of the original Gladiator movie - here's why this Moroccan city is the new Hollywood
Gazing across the parched earth to the village of Ait Ben-Haddou, it was easy to imagine hearing the clash of swords of days long past.
Ait Ben-Haddou sits at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco.
Many travellers make the four hour drive here from Marrakesh but I'd flown direct from Stansted to the nearby city of Ouarzazate, just a 30-minute drive away.
This was my first stop on a week long trip across the South of Morocco and back again, following the traditional caravan route to the Sahara.
Just on the outskirts of Ait Ben-Haddou, our hotel Riad Caravane offered a unique blend of Moroccan architecture and modern comfort with exceptional food and service.
Ait Ben-Haddou, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, once made its money by trading salt.
But these days Ait Ben-Haddou and nearby Ouarzazate are famed for something quite different.
Known locally as Ouarzawood in homage to its movie credentials, this region has provided the backdrop for many blockbuster films and TV series, including Ridley Scott's Gladiator and it's sequel Gladiator 2 out on November 15th.
The region has provided the backdrop for many blockbuster films and TV series, including Ridley Scott's Gladiator (pictured) and it's sequel Gladiator 2 out on November 15th
In the original Gladiator movie, Maximus is sold into slavery and forced to train as a gladiator.
Ait Ben-Haddou was the scene of his first fight. An arena was constructed for the film using traditional mud bricks so it blended in with the existing architecture.
It's not just Gladiator that was filmed here. Scenes from Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and The Mummy also feature its earthen buildings and streets.
The August sun was fierce as I entered the village, yet it was easy to find shade behind its high walls. An intricate warren of alleyways house a number of shops selling many of the same wares you'd expect in the souks of Marrakesh.
These sit side-by-side with traditional homes and stalls housing animals.
Like many of the locals, my village guide Mohammed also works as an extra when the movie crews arrive. On a quick tour of his house, he proudly showed off the sword and shield he brandished in Game of Thrones.
Thirty minutes drive from Ait Ben-Haddou, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, lies the Atlas film studios, one of the biggest in the world, opened in 1983.
The great and good of Hollywood have filmed here including Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo Di Caprio and, most recently, the cast of Gladiator 2.
Leaving the movie world behind, I headed out of the city to Fint Oasis.
Even in the height of the summer drought, this tranquil, lush place had large pools of water in its tree-lined riverbed. Local women washed their clothes, drying them here and there on the bushes. I was thrilled to spot turtles and frogs in the water.
Over the next few days, our trip took me gradually eastwards, inching ever closer to the Sahara.
There were some memorable stops on the way. The Dades region, know as the Valley of the Roses, is dotted with pink-coloured villages.
The scent of the roses that are grown here hangs in the air.
Women from this area, many working together in co-operatives, pick 700 tonnes of rose petals each year which are made into rosewater, used in beauty products, cooking and aromatherapy.
Continuing on, we reached the impressive Todra Gorge, a series of limestone river canyons with sheer cliffs rising up to 300 metres.
That evening, I arrived in Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara, just before sunset.
Our stunning hotel - Riad Serai - was quite literally, on the edge of a part of the desert called Erg Chebbi.
This large sea of dunes formed by wind-blown sand stretched as far as I could see.
I walked a little way and sat down. All I could hear was the sound of the wind which had just started to pick up.
In the distance, I could make out the silhouette of camels bearing riders across the peaks of the dunes.
The next day, a 4x4 took me deeper into the desert. I was staying the night in a Luxury Desert Camp.
The driver navigated his way across the deep orange sand as if he was following some unseen highway.
We stopped to look for fossils.
The heat was searing as we walked, eyes down scanning the rocky sand. Within minutes I'd found an ammonite. Just seconds later, there were more.
Arriving at the camp, I was greeted with traditional Moroccan mint tea..
The tents were something else - with air conditioning, a stand-alone bath and a very comfy bed, this was glamping at its finest.
But the best was yet to come.
As the sun began to dip, I climbed awkwardly onto a camel and was led out to the dunes to watch the sunset.
In those few minutes as the light faded, the sand seemed to shift in colour from orange, to pink and then red.
Back at camp, all the guests sat around the fire pit chatting and listening to traditional live music.
When all was quiet, I lay on my back staring at the crystal-clear night sky. I'd been told the chance of seeing a meteor that night was high.
Minutes later, a shooting star traced a path directly above.
A fitting end to a truly star-studded trip.
