We had had a wonderful 6 days in Marrakech, but it was time to move on. This time taking the Tizi-Tichka Pass Road into the Atlas Mountains. The road was built by the French in the 1920's, but before that it was the main caravanserai route used by various nomadic groups wanting to trade their wares in Marrakech.
Along the way we were amazed at how well the housing blended in with the landscape....because the buildings were made of that very same land...ofcourse!!!!!!
Even so, people clearly made their own mark on their abodes, which was delightful.
Every turn of the road brought with it stunning mountainous vistas.
After temperatures in the upper 20's-30's in Marrakech, it was a bit of a shock to get out & feel an icy cold. Our guide pointed out that it had been snowing here 3 days ago!!!!!!!! I wasn't in a t-shirt for long.
The landscape was dramatic, and so was the sky-scape. We were fascinated by these unusual cloud formations & how well they mirrored the landscape below.
We were so busy looking up as we travelled that we nearly missed the local road-kill. Yes, this was a poisonous one!
Our destination was The Valley Of A Thousand Kasbahs & the first one we visited was in a tiny place called Taleouet. A Kasbah is a fortified house & this one, in various stages of decay was first occupied in the early 1900's by the Glaoui family, who ruled quite an area of the High Atlas. It is said that there were so many rooms to this palacial Kasbah that no one person knew them all! It has been vacant since 1956 & having been made of the earth, it is now crumbling back to the earth! However, there are still a few parts of this Kasbah worthy of a visit!
One of the sensationally decorated rooms, with stunning plaster, mosaic & wood work. What was unique about it was the dominance of the colour green in the upper walls & ceiling.
Even the glazed roof tiles were green.
Looking around, we recognised that the greens used to decorate the building, were the same greens reflected in the environment the Kasbah was nestled in.
Travelling on towards Ouarzazate, we saw other former kasbahs, now returning to the land from which they were made.
Ait Benhaddou (House of the son of Haddou) was our next stop. This is more than a Kasbah, this is Ksar...a fortified group of Kasbahs! This particular one has been named a world heritage site & if you think it looks vaguely familiar...that's because it was used in the films Prince Of Persia (one of my favourites!!!) & Jewel of The Nile!
We got out & had a bit of a wander, but the wind was so strong & was carrying a lot of dust with it, that being out for long just wasn't an option. What we loved about it were the well worn walkways, the intriguing passages & flights of stairs!
Our final Kasbah for the day was at Ouarzazate. This one is also decaying, but inside are a small number of rooms showing traditional plaster work, some of which has clearly been touched up as a means of restoration.
What we found interesting was the bamboo patterned ceilings. Large beams span the room, the bamboo rods are then placed on top in layers to create a pattern. On top of them is a layer of plastic ( to keep the rain out) & On top of that, the same mud & straw mixture (pise) from which the whole building is made. It was interesting to find something different here.
I was wrong when I said it was our last Kasbah for the day, as, to our delight, we were staying in one! A new one, made of the same traditional materials & style....but that will have to wait for another blog post!!
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