Day 15: October 15

We turn onto a narrow road leading to the fortress near the village of Telouet. The road is being actively repaired, and we often drive just on gravel or dirt track. There are almost no cars, and we are completely alone on the road. Around us are red mountains, and the scenery is incredible. 


The village of Telouet is very small and very wild. The fortress seems completely ruined. First, we walk around the fortress. Then we find the entrance inside.

We climb the dark narrow staircase to the second floor. We walk through unremarkable corridors and then, unsuspectingly, find ourselves in a real fairy tale… It is hard to describe in words, and as usual the photos do not convey all the splendor of this place.

So, we enter the hall, whose walls are decorated with tiles and carved ornaments. The ceilings, doors, and shutters are wooden and beautifully painted. In the main hall, there is a large window in the ceiling, and sunlight streams down from above, adding even more magic to all this beauty.

In general, all of this seems unbelievable. How can something like this exist amid all this ruin? We are completely alone here. I walk in circles from one hall to another (and there are only three such beautiful ones here), trying to absorb this beauty, remember it, understand it. But it is simply impossible. Too many details, everything is too extraordinary. I don’t even know how one could imagine and create something like this. And why has everything become so simplified now? And is this considered normal? Or is such magnificence an unnecessary luxury?

Time in the fortress flies by unnoticed. We really don’t want to leave, but we have to keep going. Sunset is already approaching.

We continue along the road toward Ait Ben Haddou. As Volchiy said, this road itself is so picturesque that it could well be an attraction in its own right.

It’s a pity it gets dark so quickly. We are just passing through the canyon, but it is already almost impossible to see anything. Along the way, we come across very small villages of just a few houses. Everything is closed, and only in some houses is there a light on. For the first time, we are driving in Morocco in pitch darkness. We arrive at the hotel very late. The young man at the reception says that the restaurant is no longer open. We check in and head to the nearest shop for canned food, bread, and eggs for dinner.