Moroccan Village Aït Benhaddou Named Among World’s 20 Most Beautiful by Time Out Magazine

Aït Benhaddou (Morocco) ranks 12th in the ranking of the 20 most beautiful villages in the world, carried out by the media specialized in travel and outings, Time Out. To establish its top 20 of the most beautiful villages in the world, it took into account the popularity of the villages on Instagram, in particular the number of likes, positive comments and photo shares, reports lesoir.be. Cinque Terre (Italy) is elected the most beautiful village in the world. Consisting of five villages with colorful houses, this place welcomes many tourists each year.

Reine, a small fishing village in the south of the Lofoten archipelago, in Norway, ranks second. It is followed by Oia (Greece), Burano (Italy), Colmar (France), Hallstatt (Austria) and Alberobello (Italy). Hobbiton (New Zealand), Shirakawago (Japan) and Sidi Bou Saïd (Tunisia) complete the top 10. Wengen (Switzerland) occupies the 11th place in the ranking, while Popeye Village (Malta) is positioned in the 13th place. Then come Bibury (England), Ortahisar (Turkey), Ancient town of Fenghuang (China) and Staithes (England). Juzcar (Spain), Palanga (Iran) and Simiane la Rotonde (France) close the podium.

Located 30 km from Ouarzazate, in the Ounila valley, south of Télouet, the stronghold of the Glaoui, a valley that was a traditional passage point for the caravans connecting Marrakech to the southern Sahara, Aït-ben-Haddou was once nicknamed "the Mont-Saint-Michel of the Chleuhs" during the French protectorate. In 1987, this Moroccan village was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. "An ensemble of earthen buildings surrounded by walls, the ksar is a type of traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses are grouped within its defensive walls reinforced by corner towers. Aït-Ben-Haddou, located in the province of Ouarzazate, is a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco," it is described on the UN organization’s website.