TRAVERSE 179
TRAVEL- MOROCCO
LEIGH WILKINS
SEARCHING FOR THAT NEXT HIT
I
cared little for where we were, another road that wound its way north toward the high peaks of Morocco’ s Atlas Mountains. A dusty fog had swept down on me, I felt lethargic and drained to the point that another hit was needed.
We’ d left the region of Aït Benhaddou a few hours earlier, a ksar, or fortified town that had been so since the eleventh century. Constructed for its strategic location along one of the many trans-Saharan trade routes, it was considered one of the very few viable passes through the mountains we were riding towards.
Through the twentieth century the route lost most of its importance, the modern world had made things so much easier, and as a result the ksar saw a period of rapid depopulation. Today just a few families inhabit the walled town, yet it has seen a recent increase in popularity due in part to an interest in Moroccan history brought to the fore by the town becoming a popular filming location.
It’ s narrow, stone lined streets and lanes have become backdrops to many Hollywood epics such as Gladiator and Game Of Thrones. The result has seen numerous international tourists walk the historic streets for a glimpse to the past, if only the walls of rammed earth, clay bricks and adobe could speak.
The construction techniques of the time, and still employed to this day, see great erosion during times of wet weather, and with it a loss of significant importance often occurs. Aït Benhaddou is no exception with signs of deterioration evident at every step. In places modern construction, using ancient techniques, have replaced what once was, and thankfully the feel for past is retained. In 1987, Aït Benhaddou was proclaimed so significant that it was provided UNESCO World
TRAVERSE 179