The Thousand Moroccan Kasbah Road

The Thousand Moroccan Kasbah Road is one of the tourist circuits we can make in this beautiful North African country. They are unlimited: the Imperial Cities, the Atlantic Coast, the Atlas, the Rif … and an endless number of exciting places to explore in Morocco, but few tours are as authentic as the one that takes you through the adobe fortifications that are still standing for centuries. Discover Morocco from another point of view with the so-called Route of the Thousand Kasbahs, which will take you to typical Moroccan architecture.

The Moroccan architecture

Morocco has a rich architectural history and one of the great pleasures of a vacation in Morocco is staying in or visiting a historic building.
Morocco has many properties such as riads & dars, kasbahs & ksars. These short articles are written to help you understand the differences between them.

What is a Moroccan Kasbah?

The translation of kasbah can be ‘fortress’. However, with very well-defined characteristics, they are typically Berber fortresses erected in the heart of Morocco and built-in adobe bricks, mainly with a mixture of clay, straw and manure, which after drying, offers excellent durability. Their silhouette is always of high crenelated walls, and their function was protection from enemies and sandstorms from the desert. In addition, they had perfect thermal insulation to combat the significant oscillation of temperatures in the area.
Kasbahs are found in many locations throughout Morocco and date back several centuries, some of which have undergone major repairs. Still, some are now quite neglected, with a fascinating selection easily accessible in and around the High Atlas Mountains.

Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah

One of the most famous fortresses in Morocco is that of Ait Ben Haddou, located in the surroundings of Ouarzazate, almost 200 kilometers south of Marrakech. Recognized as a cultural site of global importance by Unesco, it takes on a spectacular reddish hue at sunrise and sunset. Although today it is no longer as bustling as it was centuries ago, a few families still live inside. Visiting it with a guide is almost a must for lovers of traditional architecture and history. And with it, you will also discover cinematic Morocco because we have filmed movies set in the desert and are internationally famous. For example, Lawrence of Arabia, Babel or Gladiator, among others.

Taourirt Kasbah

Ait Ben Haddou is not the only kasbah that can be visited around Ouarzazate. There is also Taourirt, located inside the city of Ouarzazate. Taourirt is one of the most interesting Kasbahs that we can visit in Morocco and also one of the best preserved, both its structure and its interior decoration, showing the wealth and refinement that reached this fortress of the eighteenth century, which was built as part of the gold route between Marrakech and Timbuktu.

You can also take guided tours inside. And like these kasbahs, there are many others along the route of the thousand kasbahs with which you will enjoy the most authentic and fascinating Morocco you can imagine. That list can not miss names like “Tifoultoute“, also very close to Ouarzazate but in a more precarious state, or the “M’Goun“, about 200 km west of Marrakech, rehabilitated for tourist use, in the middle of a spectacular oasis.

Discover Morocco and this route with our travel agency

Our agency discovers Morocco from many points of view, including The Thousand Kasbahs Road in Morocco. One of the packages we offer is the three-day trip starting and ending in Marrakech, specifically visiting Ait Ben Haddou and contemplating many other fortresses along the way. Different unique experiences are also included in this express tour, such as dromedary rides in the dunes of the Sahara desert.