Atlas Studios Ouarzazate: Visiting Morocco's Hollywood (2026)

Atlas Studios Ouarzazate: Visiting Morocco's Hollywood

At the edge of the desert, just outside the center of Ouarzazate, Atlas Studios has hosted some of world cinema's biggest productions for more than four decades. Egyptian temples, the walls of Jerusalem, Tibetan fortresses: the full-scale sets left standing on site can be visited year-round, and tell the behind-the-scenes story of how Morocco became, film after film, the "Hollywood of the desert."

1. Why is Ouarzazate called "Ouarzawood"?

Since the 1980s, Ouarzazate has concentrated several film studios — Atlas Studios and CLA Studios among them — drawn by a dry, sunny climate for most of the year, consistent light, and kasbah-and-desert scenery flexible enough to double for almost any era or setting. That unique concentration in Africa earned the city its nickname "Ouarzawood," or "Morocco's Hollywood."

Sets used by dozens of productions

Atlas Studios has hosted the filming of Gladiator, The Mummy, Game of Thrones, The Passion of the Christ, Prince of Persia, Babel, Star Wars, Homeland, The Walking Dead and Vikings, among others. Many of the sets built for these productions — temples, ramparts, monumental statues — were left standing and are now visited like an open-air film museum.

2. What do you actually see on the visit?

The visit runs in a small group or with a guide, on foot, through the standing sets built on the property. It typically passes through reconstructions of ancient Jerusalem, Tibet and ancient Egypt, complete with full-scale statues, columns and facades. The guide explains how the sets were built and shares filming anecdotes, which makes the visit worthwhile even if you're not a film buff.

Typical duration: about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the depth of the tour.

Tours to Ouarzazate and Atlas Studios· GetYourGuide

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3. Opening hours and prices

Atlas Studios is open daily. As with many tourist sites, opening hours and prices can vary by season, so it's worth checking current details on-site or with your tour operator on the day of your visit. The ticket is generally affordable, noticeably cheaper than a full-day desert excursion — an easy addition to an already packed itinerary without stretching the budget.

4. How to combine it with Aït Ben Haddou

Atlas Studios sits just minutes from central Ouarzazate, right by the road leading to the UNESCO-listed ksar of Aït Ben Haddou. Most visitors combine both sites in a single day: the film sets at the studios on one side, and the real earthen ksar — itself a frequent filming location — on the other. It's the most efficient way to make the drive from Marrakech worthwhile.

5. Getting to Ouarzazate from Marrakech

Ouarzazate sits on the classic route linking Marrakech to the desert, via the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas. Travelers generally reach it three ways:

• By rental car, driving the Tizi n'Tichka pass yourself (a winding but paved road).
• On an organized tour from Marrakech, often combined with Aït Ben Haddou.
• As a stop on a multi-day desert tour toward Zagora or Merzouga: Ouarzazate is then visited along the way, with no extra detour needed.

Ouarzazate is not usually visited on its own as a same-day round trip from Marrakech — it fits more naturally as part of a longer route south.

To plan further, see our guide to Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, or consider continuing into the desert with our 3-day desert tour from Marrakech.

FAQ — Atlas Studios Ouarzazate

In summary

Atlas Studios makes for a short, affordable, easy-to-plan stop on the road to the desert: full-scale film sets, a roughly hour-long guided visit, and immediate proximity to the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou. Enough to turn a simple waypoint into a genuine highlight of the trip south.

My 3 key tips:

1. Always pair the visit with Aït Ben Haddou to make the drive from Marrakech worthwhile.
2. Go early morning or late afternoon to dodge the heat and the tour groups.
3. Check the day's hours and prices before you set off, especially outside peak season.