Pictures: Lyle Such
Words: Thu Buu
Camera: Canon 5d MkIV
We made so many stops on our way that we were actually running behind schedule. So for the last hour, even when we saw an interesting spot we just had to enjoy it from the vehicle. Our goal was to arrive at Ksar Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified mud-brick city featured in Gladiator and more recently Game of Thrones before sunset. Lyle wanted to set up a time-lapse from our hotel before we went out to explore the ksar. We had thought about where to stay, inside the ksar looking out or outside with an unobstructed view of the whole ksar. We decided the experience this time was better from the outside, and it was.
As planned, the sunset walk to the top was rather quiet and relaxing as many of the day tours had left by that time. Ait Ben Haddou is now a village inhabited by five families. Many of the homes and remaining structures have been rebuilt and fortified. The kasbah that sat at the top of the hill is now only a small rectangular column, which is thought to have been the grain storage room. As this site gains popularity among tourists, more shops are beginning to operate during the daytime inside the city.
As we took our sunset stroll to the top, Hang went out to complete her daily run in the desert. She was just a speck in the panoramic landscape. Luckily, she was in a fluorescent top making it easy for us to spot her. What a magical place to immerse yourself in. Mustafa, in the meantime was calling for her to get back inside the village as the sun was setting, and he was beginning to feel a little nervous because he was responsible for our safety. It took Hang so long to complete her mile because she kept stopping to take pictures. At one point, she started running towards us. He commented, “Finally.” But she only ran up the hill to position her phone and ran back down to pose for the pictures. I laughed so hard. Poor Mustafa was confounded many times over by Hang’s unpredictable movements. I don’t blame her for constantly stopping and taking pictures during her run. The golden sun saturated the desert around us highlighting bewildering colors of orange, pink, and yellow. It was gorgeous. Everyday and everywhere we went, Hang was determined to get her mile in. Her determination was impressive, though heedless at times. She wanted to go out for another run before sunrise the next morning, which made Lyle and me quite uncomfortable. Besides being in an isolated area where safety is questionable, we had also noticed a couple gangs of wild dogs roaming the riverbed earlier in the evening. Finally, we were able to convince her to wait until sunrise. At least then, we would start out with her towards the mound across from the ksar to set up for sunrise pictures. When she heard the dogs howling after dinner, it sealed the deal.
The following morning we woke up before sunrise to catch the sun rising over Ait Ben Haddou. We walked through the quiet streets of the new part of town, across the footbridge and past a pack of wild dogs. We then climbed a small hill just outside the city gates where we set up our cameras and waited. Usually this place is a quick stop for tours, but we decided it would be worth the extra time to see the sun rise and set on this incredible piece of history. An added bonus to staying the night is that when the tour buses leave, it feels like you have the entire place to yourself.