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| Ouarzazate Province | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ouarzazate Province |
| Native name | ولاية ورزازات |
| Settlement type | Province |
| Coordinates | 30°56′N 6°54′W |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | Morocco |
| Subdivision type1 | Region |
| Subdivision name1 | Drâa-Tafilalet |
| Seat type | Capital |
| Seat | Ouarzazate |
| Area total km2 | 61645 |
| Population total | 499199 |
| Population as of | 2014 census |
| Timezone | Western European Time |
| Utc offset | +0 |
Ouarzazate Province.
Ouarzazate Province is a provincial division in Morocco within the Drâa-Tafilalet region centered on the city of Ouarzazate, noted for its role as a nexus between the High Atlas and the Sahara Desert and for hosting major film studios connected to productions like Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. The province's landscape includes oases along the Drâa River and mountain passes such as the Tizi n'Tichka, while administrative ties link it to regional capitals like Errachidia and national institutions in Rabat. Historically, the area served as a caravan corridor between Timbuktu and Marrakesh and contains kasbahs associated with families from Ait Benhaddou, Telouet, and other fortified settlements.
The province spans a transition zone from the southern slopes of the High Atlas to the northern fringes of the Sahara Desert and incorporates the Drâa River valley, the Tizi n'Tichka pass on the route to Marrakesh, and adjacent plateaus leading toward Zagora and Tata. Notable geographic features include the Anti-Atlas foothills, the oasis systems of Skoura and Fint, and proximity to the Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga dune fields; these align with ecological links to Jbel Siroua and Jbel Sarhro. Climatic gradients reflect influences from the Atlantic Ocean, the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains, producing arid plains, irrigated palm groves, and montane zones near Toubkal-oriented watershed divides.
The province occupies territory traversed by trans-Saharan trade routes connecting Timbuktu, Gao, and Sijilmasa with Mediterranean ports such as Ceuta and Tunis and interior markets like Marrakesh and Fez. Pre-Islamic and medieval remains include rock art comparable to sites near Tassili n'Ajjer and fortified ksour linked to the Ait Ouaouzguite and Aït Atta tribes; these settlements appear in accounts of Ibn Battuta and chronicles of Al-Bakri. During the era of the Saadi Dynasty and the Alaouite Dynasty, kasbahs like Ait Benhaddou featured as strategic points, while the French Protectorate in Morocco established administrative routes and infrastructure that later facilitated film production by studios connected to international companies such as Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros..
Administratively the province is part of Drâa-Tafilalet and comprises municipalities and rural communes including the capital municipality of Ouarzazate and communes associated with Ait Benhaddou, Skoura, Taznakht, Tazurit and Agdz, with further ties to judicial and prefectural structures centered in regional hubs like Errachidia and national ministries in Rabat. Local governance operates through elected councils and administrative divisions influenced by reforms linked to the 1996 Moroccan administrative division and the 2015 regionalization process, coordinating with agencies responsible for land management, water resources drawn from the Drâa River basin, and cultural heritage protection agencies such as those preserving UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Population figures from the 2014 Moroccan census place inhabitants across urban centers like Ouarzazate and rural communes, with communities composed of Shilha (Tashelhit) speakers, Amazigh groups including Berber tribes such as the Aït Atta and Aït Ouaouzguite, and Arabic-speaking families with historical links to Saharan caravan networks. Settlement patterns concentrate in oasis towns such as Skoura, Fint, and Agdz and along roads serving Marrakesh and Zagora, while demographic trends show migration to regional capitals like Errachidia and national destinations including Casablanca and Tangier for employment tied to sectors represented by companies like OCP Group and broadcasting outlets linked to SNRT.
Economic activities include irrigation agriculture in palm groves along the Drâa River supporting dates marketed to outlets in Casablanca and Rabat, artisanal crafts from workshops in Ait Benhaddou and Skoura, marble and mineral extraction linked to deposits near Taznakht and trade routes to markets such as Marrakesh and Agadir. Tourism hinges on film production facilities like Atlas Studios, heritage sites such as the Ait Benhaddou ksar (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), desert excursions to Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga, and adventure routes across the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas promoted by tour operators associated with international festivals like the Festival of World Sacred Music and local cultural events in Ouarzazate attracting productions by companies including Netflix and filmmakers who worked on The Mummy.
Cultural life features Amazigh oral traditions, music styles related to Gnawa and Amazigh folk repertoires, crafts such as rug weaving akin to patterns found in Taznakht and potting from communities similar to those in Skoura, and architectural heritage exemplified by kasbahs including Ait Benhaddou, Kasbah Taourirt and fortified granaries comparable to those in Ksar Ouled Soltane. Festivals and ceremonies maintain connections to Sufi orders like those historically present around Tafilalt and to pilgrimage routes that link to sites referenced by travelers such as Ibn Khaldun; preservation efforts involve national institutions and international organizations documenting links to UNESCO conventions and cultural heritage lists.
Transportation infrastructure centers on road corridors including the N9 highway over the Tizi n'Tichka connecting to Marrakesh and road links to Zagora, Tata and Errachidia, supplemented by Ouarzazate Airport with connections to Casablanca and charter services used by film crews from companies like Paramount Pictures; local transport uses networks of bus operators analogous to CTM and private services catering to tourists bound for sites such as Ait Benhaddou and oasis villages like Fint. Water management relies on dams and irrigation schemes tied to the Drâa River basin and regional utility structures interacting with national agencies in Rabat to address challenges of desertification and renewable energy projects including solar installations comparable to the Noor Ouarzazate complex.