Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Grands taxis run from outside Ouarzazate bus station when full (Dh15 per person) and
from the turn-off (Dh90 one-way or Dh250 return). Minibuses run from Tamdaght to
Ouarzazate in the morning when full.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Ouarzazate
POP 270,300
Strategically located Ouarzazate (war-zazat) has gotten by largely on its wits instead of its
looks. For centuries, people from the Atlas, Drâa and Dadès Valleys converged to do busi-
ness at Ouarzazate's sprawling Taourirt Kasbah, and a modern garrison town was estab-
lished here in the 1920s to oversee France's colonial interests. The movie business gradu-
ally took off in Ouarzazate after the French protectorate left in the 1950s, and 'Oually-
wood' movie studios have built quite a resumé providing convincingly exotic backdrops
for movies supposedly set in Tibet, ancient Rome, Somalia and Egypt.
Since King Mohammed VI started visiting here and fixing up the roads, Ouarzazate has
been developing quickly with vast new residential areas marked out to the south of town
along with new condo-hotel complexes, a spacious pedestrian plaza and well-stocked su-
permarkets. With scores of agencies offering bikes, motorbikes and camels, this is an ideal
launching pad for mountains, desert and gorges. But from November to March, be pre-
pared for the icy winds that can come whipping down from the High Atlas.
