Nicknamed the “gateway to the desert” because of its proximity to the desert, the city of Ouarzazate attracts many visitors thanks to its beautiful oases, its villages of red or ochre earth and its palm groves. Ouarzazate has about 98,900 inhabitants (2012 estimate).
In the 8th century, Ouarzazate became a place where caravans and goods arrived from different places such as Sudan and Sijilmassa to head north to the Atlas Mountains, notably to Marrakech, Fez and to Tlemcen.
In 1928, Ouarzazate became a garrison town for the French colonial power.
The southern regions obtained their independence in 1958 during the visit of His Majesty Mohamed V.
In 1960, the city experienced an agricultural boom when the El Mansour Eddahbi dam was built.
Ouarzazate is also known as “The Hollywood of Africa”. Several film studios are located in the city, among them, one of the most important in the world: the Atlas Studios.
A visit to the Atlas Studios is a must, you will travel through the history of cinema. Films such as The Diamond of the Nile, Asterix and Cleopatra or The Ten Commandments were shot in these studios.
