Ait Benhaddou Kasbah is one of the best-preserved examples of southern Moroccan earthen architecture in existence, and UNESCO recognized its outstanding universal value by adding it to the World Heritage List in 1987. The ksar — a cluster of earthen buildings enclosed by high defensive walls — served for centuries as a staging post on the trans-Saharan trade route, sheltering merchants carrying gold, salt and slaves between sub-Saharan Africa and the markets of Marrakech. Though most residents relocated across the river decades ago, a small number of families continue to live within the original walls.

Late afternoon, when the sun drops low and the warm stone glows deepest amber, is widely considered the finest hour to stand before the citadel and take it all in.