Discover with Timothy
21st Anniversary as Content Creator

Ouarzazate (ورزازات), Morocco

Ouarzazate (ورزازات) is a city in the Souss-Massa-Draâ region of Morocco. Situated at an elevation of 1,151 m (3,776 ft), to the south of the High Atlas Mountains, it has a population of 60,000 (2011 estimate).

The name Ouarzazate means "noiselessly" or "without noise". It is a Berber name as most of its inhabitants are Berbers. Ouarzazate is located at the edge of the desert, which spreads south from the city.

Ouarzazate experiences an arid desert climate. The hottest month is July, when the average high temperature reaches 40°C (104°F). On the other hand in January, it drops to just 1.1°C (34°F). The city receives just 102 mm (4 in) of rain per year, with September to November being the wet season.

Medina of OuarzazateMedina of Ouarzazate
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ouarzazate_Medina.jpg
authorshipEdo 555
photo licensing

Studio backdrops of Atlas Studios at OuarzazateStudio backdrops of Atlas Studios at Ouarzazate
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ouarzazate_Atlas_Studios_-transferred.jpg
authorshipEdo 555
photo licensing

In the last two decades the city has developed into a tourist destination. It is the gateway to the Draa Valley and the Ait-Ben-Haddou fortified village, which is recognized as a World Heritage Site. The city also has a movie making industry with many international films being shot there including Gladiator (2000) and the James Bond movie with Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights (1987).

Visiting Ouarzazate

You can get to Ouarzazate by bus from Marrakesh. The bus fare is 80 dirham. If you can share a seat in a taxi, a taxi ride to Ouarzazate will cost you 100 dirham per passenger.

Souq of OuarzazateSouq of Ouarzazate
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ouarzazate_souk.jpg
authorshipTheoliane
photo licensing

Places of Interest in Ouarzazate

  1. Atlas Film Studios
    Movie studio that employs a good number of the city's population.

  2. El-Mansour Eddahbi Dam
    Dam in the Draa valley fed by the Dadès and Ouarzazate rivers.

  3. Finnt Oasis
    Oasis located 10 km (6 mi) to the south of Ouarzazate.

  4. Tiffoultoute Kasbah
    Citadel some 7 km (4 mi) to the northwest of Ouarzazate.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 Discover with Timothy Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.