Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate ; ورززات ; ⵡⴰⵔⵣⴰⵣⴰⵜ
	Ouarzazate
	Ouarzazate
Basic data
State :	Morocco
Region :	Drâa-Tafilalet
Province :	Ouarzazate
Coordinates	30 ° 55 ′ N , 6 ° 54 ′ W Coordinates: 30 ° 55 ′ N , 6 ° 54 ′ W
Residents :	71,067 (2014)
Height :	1151 m
	Kasbah Taourirt on the eastern outskirts of Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate (from the Taschelhit ⵡⴰⵔⵣⴰⵣⴰⵜ Warzazat ; Arabic ورززات, DMG Warzazāt ) is the capital of the province of Ouarzazate in the Drâa-Tafilalet region in southern Morocco and has about 80,000 inhabitants.

geography

location

Ouarzazate lies at about 1120 m between the mountain ranges of the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas . The distance to or from Marrakech is about 200 km (driving distance). Near the city is the El Mansour Eddahbi reservoir , which, largely fed by the Dadès River , which has its source in the High Atlas , discharges its waters into the Wadi Draa . The Drâa flows south in an impressive gorge through the picturesque Drâa valley, lined with date palm groves and small cultivated areas, and drains into the Sahara .

Ouarzazate - the townscape with the snow-capped mountains of the High Atlas

traffic

Due to its location, Ouazarzate is a hub for traffic in southern Morocco and a tourist center. The city can be reached from Marrakech via the N9 road; the journey takes about 4 to 5 hours by bus and three and a half hours by grand taxi . The N10 forms the major west-east axis in southern Morocco and connects Agadir / Inezgane with Errachidia and Erfoud . Ouarzazate Airport is located north of the city .

climate

Despite the altitude, the climate is rather desert-like: the summer daytime temperatures often rise to over 40 ° C; at night it cools down to 0 ° C with a cloudless sky. In winter, values between 10 and 20 ° C are reached during the day; However, night frosts are rare. The sparse rain (approx. 150 mm / year) falls almost exclusively in the winter months.

population

year	1994	2004	2014
Residents	39,203	56,616	71,067

Ouarzazate is the economic center south of the High Atlas and north of the Anti-Atlas; almost exclusively Berbers live here . They speak the regional Berber dialect as well as Moroccan Arabic and French.

Economy and Infrastructure

General

Until the beginning of the French protectorate , Ouarzazate was only an insignificant Berber settlement. The people lived from agriculture and animal husbandry (sheep, goats, donkeys); many moved with their herds towards the mountains of the High Atlas to the north as the drought increased in late spring. During and after the colonial era, the rapidly growing town developed into a center for traffic, trade and handicrafts; later various service facilities in the education and health sector as well as in the banking and insurance industry were added. Ouarzazate also plays an important role as a film location.

Solar power plant

By 2017, the world's largest solar thermal power plant will be built around 10 km northeast of Ouarzazate with 500 MW electrical output in 3 blocks (170 MW, 200 MW, 130 MW) . The construction is part of the Moroccan solar plan, which plans to install 2,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020.

Electricity is generated in blocks 1 and 2 using parabolic trough technology , similar to the power plants in California and southern Spain ( Andasol ). In the third block, a solar tower power plant will be built, which will allow greater efficiency due to the higher live steam temperatures. A pure photovoltaic power plant is also planned as the fourth block.

The investment of around 700 million euros is made possible by funding from the European Commission , the European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Development Bank (Agence Française de Développement - AFD), the African Development Bank and the World Bank . Germany is supporting the first expansion phase with an output of 160 megawatts with 115 million euros. The plant section officially went into operation in February 2016 and generates around 370 gigawatt hours of electrical energy annually.

The German Ministry of the Environment is providing a grant of 15 million euros as part of the International Climate Initiative . The grant will be used as an equity contribution from the state “Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy” to the project company. The German Development Aid Ministry (BMZ) is providing low-interest loans amounting to 100 million euros from the “ Initiative for Climate and Environmental Protection ” program through KfW Bank .

history

Ouarzazate was founded by the French colonial administration in 1928. It was a garrison town of the Foreign Legion . One of the most impressive kasbahs in the country lies on the outskirts - the Kasbah Taourirt, built by Thami El Glaoui at the beginning of the 20th century . It is one of the particularly large residential castles within whose rammed earth walls members of the Haouza tribe still live today. The Kasbah is also a historically interesting complex as it housed the palace of El Haouzi, the tribal prince. Around a third of the palace building is now open to the public.

The last El Haouzi of political importance, Thami El Glaoui, collaborated with the French colonial rulers in the first half of the 20th century and played a powerful role until independence - at times he was the Pasha of Marrakech . His attempt to reconcile himself with Mohammed V, who was enthroned after the liberation , failed. Thami El Glaoui died in 1955.

Attractions

The predominantly modern city offers hardly any sights. Only the Kasbah Taourirt, built by Thami El Glaoui at the beginning of the 20th century, and the neighboring Kasbah district are worth a visit. The film studios can also be visited on guided tours.

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Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate

Film location

There are several film studios in the vicinity of Ouarzazate, including the Atlas Corporation Studios , which was founded in 1983 by hotelier Mohamed Belghmi . The most famous films that were shot in Ouarzazate include numerous Bible and monumental adaptations, including Game of Thrones , Gladiator , The Bible - Joseph , The Jesus Video , The Bible (miniseries) as well as The Popess , The Medicus and Prison break ( Series) .