Ait Ben Haddou is one of the finest specimens on the legendary ‘route of a thousand kasbahs’. These fortified towns grew rich and powerful on Africa’s equivalent of the silk road. Caravans laden with gold and slaves crossed here from the Sahara, through the Atlas mountains, on to the imperial capitals of Marrakech and Fes.
Our hosts at the hotel in Ouarzazate took pity on our car-less state and drove us here themselves. Morocco being Morocco, we had to stop and greet every uncle and cousin before crossing the river (by donkey), where we visited more cousins.
A burning issue that wasn’t resolved during our visit was how the concept of Berber carpets lost its way. How did the the beautiful colors and patterns of desert Morocco become the beige shag of modern day trailer parks?
