Despite being slighty scorned by certain traveller's guide books, the kasbah of Ouarzazate stands out as an exquisite example of how to take care of one's heritage with style. The entrance is clearly a bit on the clean and proper side, as if it was prepared for a foreign filmtake – something that happens quite a lot actually. Among the better spots for making movies would be near the beautiful Palace of Glaoui on the highest point.
But as soon as you enter the interior, it is packed by people that live here, enjoy it, and who only get help to keep up the standards through a governmental action every fourth year. The red-brown walls are continuously smouldering so that you get a feeling that this is the real thing. Seeing the kasbah from the other side of the river is a great experience. Through a frame of the palm branches you see the structurers of the kasbah slightly bending and stretching to the sky. All in all it could remind you of Yemen, an impression that is helped by the white painting around windows on some of the houses.
