April 3, 2025

Quarzazate > Aït Benhaddou > Tizi N’Tichka Pass > Marrakesh

Up at at them at 08:00. Breakfast at 07:00. This morning, they had scrambled eggs! The machine made coffee remains undrinkable. Did have a couple slices of toast with butter and apricot jam. The bags were outside the room by 07:20 as required. The hotel staff took the bags down to the motor coach. We watched our bags get loaded, the boarded the coach.

The coach pulled out just after 08:00 and we were on our way to Aït Benhaddou.  Aït Benhaddou is a historic ighrem or ksar (fortified village) along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh. It is considered a great example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

The site of the ksar has been fortified since the 11th century during the Almoravid period.  However, none of the current buildings are believed to date from before the 17th century. They were most likely built with the same construction methods and designs as had been used for centuries before. The site's strategic importance was due to its location in the Ounila Valley along one of the main trans-Saharan trade routes.

The Tizi n’Tichka pass, which was reached via this route, was one of the few routes across the Atlas Mountains, crossing between Marrakech and the Dra'a Valley on the edge of the Sahara. Other kasbahs and ksour were located all along this route, such as the nearby Tamdaght to the north.

Today, the ksar itself is only sparsely inhabited by several families. The depopulation over time is a result of the valley's loss of strategic importance in the 20th century. Most local inhabitants now live in modern dwellings in the village on the other side of the river and make a living off agriculture and especially off the tourist trade. In 2011 a new pedestrian bridge was completed linking the old ksar with the modern village, with the aim of making the ksar more accessible and to potentially encourage inhabitants to move back into its historic houses.

The site was damaged by the September 2023 earthquake that struck southern Morocco. An early assessment of the damage reported cracks and partial collapses, with risk of further collapses. The city which famous as the film location of “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Gladiator”.

After walking through Aït Benhaddou we rode of another hour and a half before stopped for lunch. We stopped part of the way up the Atlas Mountains on our way to the Tizi n’Tichka Pass at Ighren N’Ougdal at Café Resto. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but the inside was quite nice. We managed to get a small chicken pizza for lunch which we shared.

After lunch we continued on RN9, the highway through the pass. Apparently from November through March, snow can often fall on the pass. We could see some snow on the mountains around and above the pass. It has been believed for a long time that it reaches an elevation of 2,260 meters (7,415 ft) above the sea level (this is also indicated on a sign at the top of the pass), but a gps-measurement by Hans Mülder on 30 November 2022 indicated it is only 2,205 meters (7,234 ft) high, which was confirmed by Google Earth, on which the highest altitude of the pass is 2,207 meters (7,241 ft).

My goodness does it really matter? It is the highest major mountain pass in North Africa any way you measure it. The road was constructed along the old caravan trail by the French military between 1931 and 1936. The road has been modernized over the years due to the traffic accidents and landslides. We did actually have to take a detour around one.

We arrived in Marrakech just after it had gone 16:00. Got into our room and chilled out until it was time to go to the optional excursion “1001 Nights in Marrakech”. We are going to get an authentic 4-course meal and a Berber floor show at a “typical” restaurant.  

Dinner was at Palais Dar D’Mana on Rue de Zitoun el Kdin. Now this probably isn’t a “typical” Moroccan or even Marrakesh restaurant. It really had the feel of a tourist spot. Now even with that said, the food was really great. There were white table cloths, European style chairs with backs, nice looking silverware, and a stack of three plates and a soup bowl at our seat when we arrived.

The ambiance was “upscale”. Carpets on the floor, light green walls with paintings, intricately carved pillar capitols and ceiling joists. There were men with drums and violins (which probably aren’t a traditional Moroccan instrument), belly dances, the men and women were in “traditional clothing”, there was a dance with scarves, a lady with candles on a tray on her head, so a proper floor show for tourists.

The meal started with soup. What it was called we could not hear, but it was a nice vegetable soup with rice. This was followed by chicken “stew” from a clay pot served with rice. The we had lamb tanging style with apricots. This was finished off by a dessert of thin fried dough with crème fresh and chocolate sauce. There were some cookies as well. Very nice.

After dinner we boarded the bus and went to the famous Jenna El-Fnaa Square to see the activity there.  Tons of people. Street performers, places to eat, shops, honestly you name it, and it was probably there. If you like nighttime activities this is the place. Aziz pointed out that it was like this every night  because that is when people come out. It is cooler at night. And yes, it was still in the 70’s at 22:00.

Only one photo. Apparently people like to go out at night but don’t like to be photographed doing so.

Then it was back on the motor coach and back to the hotel. The hotel is about 2 ½ miles from Jenna El-Fnaa Square and the “center” of town. Seems like a long way out.

However, we are tired and ready for bed. We have to be back on the coach at 08:00 in the morning.

Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria