The Route of the Kasbahs is a tour for those wonderful buildings, and it begins in Ouarzazate´s province, placed in the south zone of the country, and finishes in Merzouga, at the entrance of the Sahara Desert.A kasbah is a building formed by four towers, more or less luxurious, in whose interior a family usually lives. Along the Route of the Kasbahs, we will find many buildings like this one. But the most interesting thing is when we meet a Ksar. The ksars are walled cities constructed generally on the shores of the rivers to guarantee the water supply to the population. Also it’s observed that they are constructed on elevations of the area, to have better visibility in case of assaults or sieges, or to exercise the control on the commercial routes of the caravans that they were crossing from the Black Africa for the Valley of the Draa up to Marrakech. The material for the construction of these kasbahs is the adobe, which helps them remaining perfectly camouflaged with the landscape.
Most of the citizens who live in the area of Aït Ben Aït Ben Haddou, now live in more modern housings in a nearby zone, but there are still 4 families living in the ancient city. In the ksar, the houses appear grouped, modest some of them, others look like small urban castles, with high towers of corner, and the top sections are decorated with designs of clay; but also there are some buildings and areas belonging to the community. The common zones of the Ksar are ormed by a mosque, a public square, a fort and a former castle in his top, two cemeteries (the Muslim and the Jew), and Saint Sidi’s sanctuary.
The Route of the Kasbahs, is definitely the best way to get to the desert knowing the south of Morocco.
