Morocco has a real-life Hollywood in the desert, and you can wander right onto the sets
Forget the Hollywood sign. The place that has quietly doubled as ancient Rome, biblical Jerusalem, and Westeros is a desert town in Morocco, and you can walk right through the leftovers.
That town is Ouarzazate, and film is a huge part of its economy. Desert landscapes, old earthen architecture, trained crews, and low production costs all pull cameras here. Yes, really: a Moroccan town you’ve probably never pronounced out loud has outworked half the studio lots on the planet.
Why movie crews keep coming back
The list of films shot in the Ouarzazate area reads like a movie night that never ends. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), and Kingdom of Heaven (2005) all filmed here, and so did parts of Game of Thrones, including season 3.
A 2020 study estimated that around 20 to 50 foreign film and TV productions shoot in the area each year. Atlas Studios, established in 1983, is described as the largest movie studio in the world by land area. Not bad for a town most travelers treat as a pit stop between Marrakech and the Sahara.
The set you can actually climb on
Here’s the part that made me do a double take: you can wander a working-grade film set on your own. CLA Studios, which opened in 2004, is the other big name in town. Its main complex is more tourist-office than movie magic, so skip the guided tour pitch and ask about the outdoor set out back.
Go early. We arrived around 9:30 and had the whole thing to ourselves for hours, climbing walls and poking around like kids on an abandoned playground. Just watch your footing, because the backstage is a maze of scaffolding, broken ladders, and steep steps.
Skip the star attraction? My honest take
Aït Benhaddou, the earthen village that became a Game of Thrones favorite, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. It’s undeniably photogenic. It is also, in my opinion, the most overhyped stop in Ouarzazate.
It was the most crowded place I saw in my nearly three months in Morocco, and a staged snake-charmer act at the viewpoint ended my visit. Go if you’re a fan, but don’t build your whole day around it. Is a famous backdrop worth a crowd? You decide.
Smaller stops that steal the show
Kasbah Telouet, about an hour north of the city, was my favorite thing in the whole region. The plain exterior hides a restored interior packed with tilework and ornate doors. The entrance is tucked toward the back, so don’t give up if you think you’ve found the wrong building.
For something odder, there’s the old fake gas station used in The Hills Have Eyes (2006) along the N10 road. We drove past it with no idea what we were looking at, which is half the fun. I covered all of these spots, plus where we stayed, in my full guide to things to do in Ouarzazate.
How to make it easy
A rental car gives you the most freedom, and my tips for driving in Morocco will save you some stress. No car? A day tour from Ouarzazate that bundles Aït Ben Haddou, Atlas Corporation Studios, and Fint Oasis hits the big names in one go.
If you want a film-nerd souvenir, the Cinema Museum, opened in 2007 in a former studio across from Kasbah Taourirt, shows off sets, props, and equipment from past productions. Pair it with a set visit and you’ve covered the whole story.
So here’s my question: which movie would you most want to stand inside? Tell me in the comments, and I’ll tell you if there’s a set for it.
If this has you curious about the rest of the country, my Morocco archive has more.
