It is impossible to go sightseeing in Merzouga without noticing the big dune, also called Erg Chebbi. Among all the dunes of Morocco, the great dune of Merzouga is one of the highlights. The dune of Merzouga is the essential place of Erg Chebbi. From a height of almost 160 meters, its ascent is difficult, but the arrival at its summit guarantees an incredible ecstasy.
An Erg (also called edeyen, ramla, nefoud or koum) is a desert of fixed dunes. There are two in the Kingdom of Morocco, including Erg Chebbi, which measures 5kms wide over more than 20kms long!
The panorama of the whole region, the village below and the lake in front of you will amaze you. We advise you to climb on the dunes in the late afternoon when the weather is bearable, to enjoy the magic spectacle of the sunset on the lake.
If the descent of the dune seems too easy, you can consider skiing or paragliding!
The legend of Erg Chebbi and Merzouga
A legend of the region, transmitted orally, would like the dunes of Erg Chebbi were formed by God himself. It would initially be a punishment for wealthy families who then refused to welcome a poor woman with her son at a party.
The legend describes wealthy families who washed their hands with milk and played with balls of couscous. These families would have been buried, as well as the village of Merzouga, by the sand of the storms of wind, giving way to this set of dunes.
In the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia ...
The dunes of Merzouga represent a perfect setting for the cinema. The erg has served as a backdrop for film scenes such as Lawrence of Arabia, in 1962, with Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif, The Mummy, in 1998, with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz or The Legionnaire, in 1997, with Jean Claude Van Dame.
More generally, the installation of film studios in Ouarzazate in 1983, the attraction of directors for Morocco grows each year a little more. There are many films and series shot in Morocco (Othello, One Thousand Dollars in the Sun, James Bond, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven, Kabul Kitchen, Game of Thrones, etc.) and especially at Ait-Ben-Haddou ksar