Come we travel: [Moroccan city of Ouarzazate tourist]

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Since the nineteenth century to today and the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate kiss filmmakers. Transformed by its stunning natural center for photography studios are the largest on the African continent. Frequented by tens of directors annually, and the most popular films depicted major historical, and decamp to Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott, and others. What happens in Ouarzazate these days, and why it faded and Ahjhaa? Field investigation highlights.

Not far from the city of Marrakech, the Moroccan capital of tourism, there are «Ouarzazate» City Moroccan cinema .. «Hollywood Africa» as he called Americans, or «gate desert» as they are called French. City red color, attracted senior directors Americans and the French also attracted other Europeans and Arabs, which is now published «cinema culture» in Morocco.

Located south of the country, and looks at first glance city isolated and asleep amid the mountains and oases, but in fact the movement dates exceptional creativity. Here there is the largest film studios in the African continent. Ouarzazate attracts every year dozens of directors who come to shoot scenes for movies huge budgets amounting to millions of dollars, and the works of thousands of citizens of the city «extras» in these films, and that the property does not exist in any other city in the world.Ouarzazate City trims and acting, and other professions related to cinema and her world. City cinematic even though they do not exist Dar display one, but is a normal studio, watching and wishing to watch movies directly in front of them, a perception.

Constructed inside and outside the studios of Ouarzazate, and turned hundreds of hectares to the scene of representation, in an environment that is almost ideal for the work of Hollywood cinema that rely artistic expression. Studios in Ouarzazate there is everything related to film production: coefficient, Montage halls, shops, restaurants, hotels, and the center of the composition film. Most studios overlooking the vast space of the picturesque mountain views. There is also the factor of the film careers, carpentry and sewing and dyeing and makeup Gypsum and engraving, and sites for explosives, and hundreds of stables for horses and camels, which are trained on the representation offices and production management.

In «Studio Atlas» found «the temple of Abu Simbel», there is also a pharaonic statues stand silent. In this place was specifically conceived the film «Cleopatra» and several films are universal. Most famous of these movies filmed in «Atlas Studios» vast.The visitor finds upon the entry of these studios large yard and put the plane white, and a car «Ferrari» red are the remnants of the film «Jewel of the Nile» Michael Douglas, who filmed in Ouarzazate in 1984, as well as the film «Gladiator» and «King or Haven», directed by Ridley Scott.

Arena in front of a small door, and there is a back door of the building, where entry requires him bend a little. There we found Onevsa in front of a large statue of the tanks where the books without limitation .. It Temple «Buddha» The statue is great «Buddha». Everything in this studio is made of plaster and cardboard and cane, something really impressive. All of these decorations built by craftsmen from the sons of Ouarzazate. Most of the decorations in the studio of clay and plaster. Some trims collapsed, has not been restored.

Here also there is Cleopatra's palace and houses a small market, the guide told us that it was built during the filming of the movie «Prophet Yusuf». But not all photography is being in the studio, but there are areas depicted where movies do not exist simpler facilities, not even paved roads, such as the «Vint», and the same applies to the rod «Ait Haddou», which filmed the movie world, such as «Gladiator », and is one of the monuments classified as World Heritage.

At the end of the nineteenth century was filmed in 1897, the first foreign film in Ouarzazate, entitled «patron Moroccan goats», and was behind this achievement French cinema pioneer Louis Lumiere. He went beyond the work of other French ones «blood» of Lewites Mora and «God willing» to Franz Toussaint.

In the late twenties of the last century, Americans have discovered this wonderful place, to become their destination over the past century. In 1930, the conclusion reached by Joseph von Sternberg to portray «hearts burnt». You'll Ouarzazate great transformation in the second half of the twentieth century, where will be directed towards the heavily-month directors, actors and producers filmmakers in the world, including Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, and Anthony Quinn, and Ridley Scott, and Moustapha Akkad, and Oliver Stone, Sergio Leone, and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Douglas, and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

When roaming in Ouarzazate, a picturesque town that rises from the sea at about 1136 meters, and the hills are green and Uahadtha largest studio in the natural world, you'll find yourself in Hollywood again. Nature and picturesque palaces and towns and oases extended to HYPEROPIA

, churches and pyramids, snow and desert, here everything tempt senior directors.

In the city there are «oases valves» and «Palace Ait Haddou» and tubing «Tmort» and stubble «Taourirt» and the Draa Valley. A variety of places where you find yourself living past wars with the Romans, and the time of the great civilizations such as the Egyptian civilization, Romanian, Chinese, and there are also «Egyptian pyramids» and «Jerusalem» old. All this is embodied in Ouarzazate trims maintained by the city in all its studios.

Off «Kasbah Taourirt» Film Museum there. The museum seems normal from the outside. Statues of horses in front of him, and well, on the side of the entrance door and there is a long corridor after the first entrance, the guard queried about whether there is evidence Saarafna on the place, he replied, «you need not one, everything that exists in this paper». We entered a door that leads to the «throne room of King Solomon», so he wrote in the plate and put Central Square by the exceptional decor, strikethrough stately gilded chair. Everything here from Gypsum and cardboard and cane. If you hear the wall reverberate across the empty space.

Movies that were filmed here, mostly during the nineties, and images Italians. Films mostly talking about Christ and the Prophet Joseph. There alongside Hall «throne of Solomon» on the right temple and a small court and Parliament, then the long, dark corridor Dkhalnah prison and found the dark cells of plaster and wooden rods, chains and rusty iron. We came out of the «throne room» and entered the corridor of the second term, there was a huge building in the door there is a black cave, we asked one of the guards you are for representation, and he said it's just a decor of the place. We entered from the door next to a large cave, everything was incredible hairdresser and carts decorated with carvings and bright colors. It's vehicles, which was carrying over Cleopatra in a film that bears her name.

We have completed a curfew and found a large room where the bed and covered with a lid decorated with red and golden pillows dress color .. It room wife of Pharaoh. We walked in the basements of some of them leading to rooms adjacent imaging and other ways are blocked. «Pictures film here (for Abiel), and film images here (Isa)», uttered guard was standing on our side, pointing to the dark rooms. Ranger led us to another spacious hall where some old photographic equipment was working with coal, branching out from the hall closet where old clothes were used in the filming of historical films. Sibal to her side and spears and shields the skin from the iron and Gypsum. The scene was exciting.

Ouarzazate and through lists of movies that depicted, can monitor dozens of films that had a desert where a pivotal role, including «Jewel of the Nile» in 1985, «Foreign Legion» in 1998, «The Mummy» in 1999 and «Gladiator» in 2000, and «Babel» in 2006, and some films task that took advantage of Moroccan territory to reflect the atmosphere of non-Arab countries such as «Koidon» Directed by Martin Scorsese in 1997, and the television film «Cleopatra» in 1999, and the series «ancient Egyptians» in 2003 and «Troy» 2004 output Wolfgang Petersen, and «Alexander» 2004, directed by Oliver Stone.

Filmed in Ouarzazate movies bearing the names of «Ten Commandments», and «Ibrahim», and «Jacob», and «Joseph», and «Moses», and «Solomon and Sheba», and «David», and «Jesus», and «Solomon », and« Sarah », and« Samson and Delilah ».There are films produced depicting events taking place in Morocco, and play the characters Moroccan key roles such as «strange grotesque» English 1998, «Now, ladies and gentlemen» French 2002, «snapshots» American in 2002, and «Babel» Mexican 2006, «corridor» American 2007, and the list goes on. Most of these films depends on the atmosphere of the intertwined relationships between Moroccans and foreigners, controlled by surprise, toward the manifestations and traditions reflect the misery and ignorance, and sometimes concerts ritual magic and sorcery.

Avakir says Mustafa, a professor at the Institute of cinematic professions and specialist in the field of cinema «in the eighties and nineties filmed in Ouarzazate movies about prophets and historical films such as (Ibrahim) and (Joseph) and (Isa)». He explains Avakir that «ft production team Italian to Ouarzazate and discovered that the light level suitable for filming, and after the movie (Lawrence of Arabia), which was filmed in 1962 noted filmmakers quality of natural light for the city, also found directors that the color of the mountains is very suitable for filming a special historical films».

Avakir recounted that among the stories that have taken place in Ouarzazate that American actor «Brad Pitt» when it came to represent the city's request for a film to be his gym, he was forced to bring the concerned Sports Hall of Casablanca. Although it was not used only four times, because instead of the exercise was sitting with simple city to drink tea Almnana.

It is believed that the problem Avakir in Ouarzazate lies in the structure of the studios are not in good condition and they need to develop more, where it began trims historic fade and crumble, in addition to bureaucratic problems. Avakir said that there was a project to build a cinema complex, which includes decorative accessories and galleries montage, it will ensure the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre. And on how to develop and Ouarzazate to become already the capital of cinema in Africa said Avakir in dialogue with the «Middle East»: «the required infrastructure is very strong and maintain trims, and accompanied by a plan advertising and strong media, and be present at all meetings for the sale of this product Film and marketing». It is believed that Avakir «studio Atlas» is the best at the level of Africa in terms of revenues, and was built in 1984, when he decided to shoot a film «Nile Pearl» by director Luis Tech. There in the studio hotel and a range of facilities.

With the decline in film production in 2008 specifically, formed «Film Commission» in Ouarzazate, as established «Institute and a specialist in Ouarzazate cinematic professions». According to the perceptions that have been developed to revive the cinema began work in 2009 to establish the one hand, deals with production companies, to avoid bureaucracy, and to allow the competencies and human resources and infrastructure development, and the provision of monetary stimulus that will encourage all parties to work and creativity. All this falls within the strategic objective seeks to make Ouarzazate leading receiver in cinematic productions in Africa in 2016.

The most prominent filmmakers who have been working in Ouarzazate with huge budgets are Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese, the first commissioned shoot his film «Gladiator» ten million dollars, and included the costs of setting up filming locations and extras wages and extended imaging for six months. To accomplish the film «Kingdom of Heaven» director himself constructed «Jerusalem», which participated in the creation of 300, including one hundred Italian craftsman, and it took ten months, and participated in the representation A representative of extras.

Contributed to Ouarzazate in spreading the culture of cinema in Morocco, by the students, who are studying at the Institute of cinema Ouarzazate, where they acquire film culture and spreading it in different circles. The quiet town of Ouarzazate, where you can meet people who participated in the work of simple cinematic huge brought millions of dollars for their owners. You'll find in popular cafes appeared in the roles of extras, and they performed their roles Statistics along with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, or heroes with films like global «Gladiator» and «Kingdom of Heaven» and «Tea in the Sahara» and «Babel». He told us one of the sons of the city of Ouarzazate, who worked «extras» in the number of business international film «Our city is characterized by calm and Uahadtha and palaces and Qsbadtha, and geographic diversity, and all this achieves fame to Morocco and brings tens of thousands of tourists from around the world, and the film industry in the city creates jobs for half the city's residents who work in other professions extras on the film industry ».