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How would you like to see a movie scene come to life, to relive breathtaking moments of your favorite tv series, to visit the scenes where your favorite episode was shot?
Game of Thrones is arguably a leading fantasy drama tv series, shot in medieval realism. It is a fine adaptation of the storyline of A Song of Ice and Fire. The beautiful deserts in Morocco, the ancient and medieval structures make this a choice location for filming. Come with me on this marvelous journey as I take you through these amazing sites and sights in Morocco.
Essaouira in Morocco
A beautiful historical town which was particularly chosen for the adventures of Daenerys Targaryen. The Medina of Essaouira is a UNESCO world heritage fortified seaport from the 18th century. The city is surrounded by fortified walls and the sounds of waves splashing against the fortress can easily be heard in the silence of the evenings. The narrowed walls of the city, a complex mix of both European and North African styles is a beauty to behold.
Wonderful activities to indulge in the medina are getting lost in the narrow streets and lanes, and window shopping. It’s a bit small compared to other medinas in Morocco, but the beautiful colors mix of the city walls and the seaside location gives it an exotic atmosphere.
Yunki
It is also known as the Yellow City. It is called the Yellow City because its walls are made of yellow bricks, as it is an ancient city; crumbling walls are a common sight. The city is ruled by the wise people and the people are referred to as Yunkish.
An emblem is present in the city, it is a harpy with a woman’s body, and wings of a bat, eagle legs, and the tail of a scorpion, its talons grasp a whisp and an iron collar. The wise masters of the city ride horses and camels. The beach is a glorious sight to behold but watch out for the strong winds as they carry sand along too.
Ait Benhaddou Oasis
This location is in the southern part of Morocco. This historic village is composed of Kasbahs (a type of medina or fortress). It has been a UNESCO world heritage since 1987. A number of blockbuster movies have been shot here, including Marco Polo and The Mummy.
It is a heavily fortified city; the Ait Benhaddou Ksar is also the most famous site in the valley Ounila. The site is one of the trading posts on the ancient trade route linking Sudan to Marrakech by the Dra valley and the Tizi-n’Telout. In the community, there is an ancient mosque of the Ksar, a loft above the village and the sanctuary of Saint Sidi Amer.
Atlas studio Ouarzazate
This studio is located westward of the city of Ouarzazate. It opened in the year 1983. It is the world’s largest film studio hence it is sometimes referred to as Morocco’s Hollywood. A number of blockbusters have been shot here alongside Game of Thrones, movies like Gladiator, Atlantis. Important to note also that the most thrilling scenes of ice and fire saga were shot here. From the mind blowing sets to the natural desert sounds, Atlas studio is a must see for movie buffs.
Astapor
Astapor is also known as the red city. It is the cultural and geographical region of Central Essos. It flows into the Gulf of grief. The third season of game of thrones was shot here. It is home to the Unsullied slave soldiers. It is governed by the good masters. At dusk, the good masters go about their duty to light lanterns made of silk and the colored lights make the pyramids glow. The city is known as the only place in the world where the ‘Unsullied’ can be purchased. This antiquated city and is rumored to have been built from disintegrating crimson colored bricks that are said to have been tainted by slaves. The inescapable dust from the bricks stings the eyes, which is why native women wear veils to protect their eyes. The streets are made of red brick and with each gust of wind red dust is everywhere.
The flag of Astapor has the Ghiscari harpy on it. The giant Ghiscari harpy is situated on the top of a building in Astapor. The plaza of pride, the plaza of punishment and the fighting pits are places of note in Astapor.
Meereen
This city lies northeast of the Bay of Dragons. The great masters oversee the affairs of the city and the richer citizens live in pyramids made of several layers of stone. The beautiful city is made up of bricks of different colors, wide streets, and narrow alleys. The ancient multicolored walls are well maintained and anchored. There are ancient fighting pits which are huge circular arenas. The multicolored Daznak’s Pit is large and breathtaking. Other structures of interest in this ancient city include the ancient palaces, baths, gardens, and fountains. The modern people of Ghiscari speak dialects of High Valyrian.
Important places to note are the Great Pyramid and the Temple of Graces. The Great Pyramid of Meereen measures 800 feet tall (243,84 meters), from its huge square base to the lofty apex. The Pyramid has thirty-three levels in all, a few of those levels is considered sacred to the gods of Ghis.
The temple of grace lies on the west side of the great pyramid, it is a huge structure topped with domes of gold.
Would you like to go on this real life unforgettable experience? Get ready, pack your bags, book a ticket and let’s go on this breathtaking experience together to relive our favorite Game of Thrones moments.
About the Author: This article was written by Victoria Abifarin, savvy travel blogger at asabbatical.com , a personal travel blog of Adrian Sameli. To connect with Victoria, follow her on Facebook.
If you would like to be a guest contributor to Mags On The Move, head over to the “Contact Me” page and drop me a line.
My brother would have a cow and possibly lay a golden egg if he could visit these places. I will have to send him your link and tell him to get his funds together. Such beautiful places should be seen in person.
Great, These places are looking so awesome and have to experience to visit that beautiful place. Statues are best to enjoy here and Its really awesome place for holidays.
Game of Thrones is my favorite! This is so so cool! And your pics are stunning! I’m pinning this for later lol thanks! <3
thanks for this!!!! was really rooting over the shoot location of GOT!!! this is def something to look out for in Morocco.
The scenery were just breathtaking and I’m thinking of relieving each scene of the GOT with these.
That’s awesome! I visited a place in Spain before it got featured in GOT. It’s funny to see it from such a different angle! Thank you for sharing these!
I absolutely love Game of Thrones and I sometimes wonder where these beautiful places are and if they really exist. Seems like they do and Astapor looks great there but I wonder if you have your photo of Meereen? I want to visit Morocco someday!
Game of Thrones is undoubtedly one of the most popular TV shows in the current decade and having to visit all their film locations is fun!! I too follow GOT and out of the locations you mentioned my favorite is Atlas studio Ouarzazate – Ahh the Hollywood of Morocco, sure it deserves that title 🙂 Hope to visit atleast my favorite if not all !
I’ve wanted to visit Morrocco for decades but had no idea it was home to so many locations for Game of Thrones. I’m saving this post now so I know exactly where to go when we finally make it there.
So glad to find this post. I am sure all other GoT nerds will agree. Seems the entire Essos has been set in various parts of Morocco. But that is exactly the strength of Morocco. It looks so epic from all angles!
ok, it is hard to pick a favorite. All of them are so gorgeous. GOT or not, I want to visit them for their original stories. The Yellow City and Astapor are currently the fighting for the top spots. Gorgeous pics.
OMG I want to fly to Morocco soon. I’m super fan of this series. I never thought that they also shoot in Morocco. This is one of my dream destinations. Do you have the photo of Meereen? I’m curious how it looks like not from the series. 😉
Looks so cool. I’m not an avid Game of Thrones viewer, but I would still be able to appreciate these scenes due to all of the super impressive architecture! Looks like it would be so fun to explore!
I’ve yet to see Game of Thrones, I should binge watch before I pay a visit to these sites. Morocco has such an interesting landscape. The forts are impressive. Love your photo of Yunki with the reflection on the water.
This is unreal! Must’ve been so cool to see such cool sites from such an iconic show now. Great fun.