Morocco: Kasbah

(Sorry for the glitch in the blog. Blogger has been acting very strange and not allowing me to post or even load up my site.) We pass through the small town of Ouarzazate where the Altlas, Drâa, and Dadès valleys converge. It has always been strategically important, as one can see by the huge Taourirt kasbah (fort/citadel) at its centre. The town really only came into being in the 1920's when the French made it an administrative centre and garrison town. One of the few real sight in Ouarzazate itself is the Taourirt Kasbah which we decide to visit (pictured in this post). During the 1930s it housed numerous members of the Glaoui dynasty, along with hundreds of their servants and workers. UNESCO has carefully restored small sections of the building although still only one third of it is visitable. The Glaoui palace consists of courtyards, living quarters, reception rooms and the like. Inside it is literally a labyrinth of rooms that climb stairs and descend into cellars.

We finally find a way out onto the roof.

We find it odd that there are signs of people living in the restored building site. It seems also that there are foreigners working there as well...Europeans. Even more odd. I love this picture of apples drying in the sun. It turns out that the Europeans are setting up for a film shoot and are making it looked lived in. Keep your eye open for dried apples in upcoming films. There are several film studios in the area. King Mohammed VI loves the movies and is keen to promote Morocco, particularly the south as a location shoot.