Morocco, where mountains and seas are intertwined, grasslands and waterfalls are intertwined, deserts and oases embrace each other, and Morocco, where ancient Roman, Islamic, Jewish and Moorish cultures converge and blend, attracts countless people who love traveling from thousands of miles away. This land with unique style is also favored by film and television creation. In the popular American TV series Game of Thrones, many unforgettable classic scenes are based on real-life shooting in Morocco.
Since the continent of Westeros is basically shot in Europe, in order to reflect the difference between the two continents on both sides of the "Narrow Sea" in the story, the crew specially focused the camera on Morocco on the other side of the European continent, with its exotic natural scenery and ancient fortresses, depicting the legendary journey of Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons, and the Unsullied Legion. The film's Slave Bay towns of Astapor and Yunkai were filmed in Essaouira and Ait Ben Haddou, respectively, and some scenes of King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, were also taken here. Desert and sea, palm trees and castles, conquest and resistance, return and wandering, in this land, it is difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction.
Although Game of Thrones has been announced to be over, this epic legend is deeply rooted in the memories of countless viewers. Whether you are a new fan who is stepping into the continent of Westeros for the first time, or an old fan who intends to relive the classics, if you can walk into Morocco one day, it will be an unforgettable journey through time. After reading this guide, you may be able to better understand this ancient, vast and passionate North African kingdom.
In A Song of Ice and Fire , the original novel of Game of Thrones, Astapor is a legendary city on the coast of Slaver's Bay, famous for its well-trained slave army - the Unsullied. The emblem of Astapor is a statue of a woman with an eagle's body, which is carved on the broken wall of the harbor gate, symbolizing the history and power of the city. Astapor has always been under the rule of the good master, and the arrival of "The Mother of Dragons" completely changed the fate of the city. It was here that Daenerys Targaryen exchanged 8,000 Unsullied from the slave owners with a dragon as a bargaining chip, formed her invincible legion in the future, and opened the prelude to the revolution in Slaver's Bay.
As a filming location, Essaouira is a peaceful port on the Atlantic Ocean with a long history and enjoys the reputation of "The City of Wind". Historically, Spain, England, France, and those mysterious pirates have fought for this place many times. Arabs, Berbers, African indigenous tribes and Jews brought their own cultures and customs, which blended with each other.
The ancient city gates, the charming old docks, the bustling old markets and the sturdy castles together constitute the unique style of Essaouira. Due to its superior geographical location, the city has also become a surfing resort, and paragliding and sailing are also popular here. In the last week of June every year, Essaouira will hold the famous Nawa World Music Festival, attracting about 450,000 tourists and musicians to come here.
In Game of Thrones, as an important city on the east coast of Slaver's Bay, Yunkai is not only the trigger of the key plot of Game of Thrones, but also shows the firm resistance of Daenerys, the mother of dragons, to slavery. Yunkai mainly exports slaves, and its unique walls, towers and stepped pyramids are all built with yellow bricks. After the mother of dragons captured Astapor, Yunkai recruited slave troops to declare war on the mother of dragons to stop her attack, but was completely conquered by her. After Daenerys Targaryen announced the liberation of Yunkai, the crowd cheered and lifted her up high. The background of the classic scene was Aït Ben Haddou in Morocco.
Aït Ben Haddou is located between the Atlas Mountains in southeastern Morocco, about 100 kilometers from Marrakech. This military village was built in the 11th century and historically controlled the key points of the river and Sahara Desert trade route. The most distinctive feature of Ait Ben Haddou is its architectural style: the indigenous Berbers used red soil and willow wood to build layers of houses and defensive walls around the mountains, accumulating a huge fortified building complex. From a distance, the fortress looks like a majestic pyramid, and its interior is like a maze, winding and spectacular. Although it was once abandoned, Ait Ben Haddou is now favored by art film directors and has become a popular location for filming. Today, there are still six Berber indigenous families living here, making a living by hand-made carpets, pottery and jewelry.
Ait Ben Haddou also has a specialty craft called "burning painting". The painters first use special pigments to paint on a special paper. After the painting, there seems to be nothing on the paper, but after the paper is gently burned on the fire, the invisible pattern immediately appears. Many local artists have also played extras in Game of Thrones, acting with the Dragon Queen and getting their fill of extras.
Not far from Ait Ben Haddou, there is another ancient city known for its filming locations - Ouarzazate, known as the "African Hollywood". The Gobi Desert, snow-capped mountains and other natural landscapes here are great choices for directors to shoot. In order to capture a magnificent visual experience, many crews travel thousands of miles to come here.
Perhaps it is because of Game of Thrones that more people know Morocco; or perhaps it is the rendering of other literary and film works that makes this "North African Garden" more romantic and mysterious.
Those popular classic literary works, such as Stories from the Sahara, First Love is Always Last Love, Holy Night, Temple of the Caliph, and Listen to Marrakech, all have deep roots in this land. The filming footprints of legendary movies such as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, The Mummy, and The Time in Between can all be traced back to this place. This mysterious land seems to be born naturally for stories and shots.
Since 2016, Morocco has implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, which means that you can start a fantasy journey with just one plane ticket. However, to truly appreciate the depth and essence of Morocco, you need not only rich travel experience, but also master some minority languages (such as French, Spanish or Arabic). If you feel that you lack the language or experience, it would be a wiser choice to choose an experienced guide, so that you can play more calmly and thoroughly. When you embark on the journey and come to the real-life filming location, you will surely have a different feeling. Let's go! Come here to find your "Iron Throne".
If you want to know more information and tips about traveling to Morocco, please refer to our blog: Morocco Travel Guide.
Planning to travel to Morocco? You can refer to these itineraries:
3-Day Morocco Sahara desert Tour: Departing from Marrakech
5-day Northern Morocco Tour: a blend of history and culture
7-Day Morocco Tour: Departing from Marrakech
10-Day Morocco Tour: Departing from Casablanca
13-Day Morocco Tour: Departing from Casablanca
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