Rabat - Tourists across Morocco can visit the village of Ait-Ben-Haddou to get a taste of the desert they may have seen in the hit fantasy series 'Game of Thrones', news agency AFP reported.
The fortified old settlement at the foot of the majestic Atlas mountains enchanted audiences in the United States HBO series as the fictional Yellow City of Yunkai which is conquered by Daenerys Targaryen, a key character in 'Game of Thrones'.
It also served as a dusty backdrop in film-maker Ridley Scott's epic 'Gladiator'.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by G Adventures(@gadventures) on Feb 11, 2020 at 2:30am PST
"Several people have told me that they came here to see the filming location of 'Game of Thrones'. There is tourism linked to cinema here but frankly we have not developed it to the extent it could be," local tour guide Ahmed Baabouz told AFP.
According to Wikipedia, Aรฏt Benhaddou is an ighrem along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by gisselle ceniza(@gscenes) on Feb 19, 2020 at 1:21am PST
Most citizens attracted by the tourist trade live in more modern dwellings in a village on the other side of the river, although there are four families still living in the ancient village.
The village had a very rich cinematic heritage that operators hoped to use to attract tourists, Baabouz added.
Ait-Ben-Haddou is southern Morocco's most famous fortress.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sunny Park (๋ฐ๋ณด๊ฒฝ)(@bk_spark) on Feb 19, 2020 at 1:10am PST
The village has a mosque and two cemeteries - one for Muslims and one for Jews - but most inhabitants have long since departed, with a few homes converted into stalls selling handicrafts.
Unlike other famous locations from the movie and television history, this Unesco World Site has so far missed out on a mass influx of tourism - something some of its inhabitants are eager to change, AFP reported.