Atlas Film Studios

Atlas Film Studios:

Atlas Film Studios

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment

Named for its proximity to the Atlas Mountains, a range that stretches across northern Africa, Atlas Film Studios is the largest film studio in the world. Covering more than 322,000 square feet of desert, Atlas Film is located just five miles outside of Ouarzazate on the road to Marrakech and is a popular tourist destination, in part because the grounds are littered with old movie sets that are decaying in the harsh environment. Atlas Film Studios wasn't built until 1983, when Moroccan entrepreneur Mohamed Belghmi recognized the need for a permanent studio in the area. But Ouarzazate was first used as a movie location by acclaimed British director David Lean for his 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. Familiar with the area, Lean knew that the site could provide an authentic setting for any ancient, desert-based story. Over the years, Ouarzazate has served as a shooting location for Alexander the Great, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, Babel, The Mummy (1999), Star Wars (1977), The Living Daylights (1987), Martin Scorsese's Kundun (1997), and many others, including Ridley Scott's epic Gladiator (2000), starring Russell Crowe. The first thing visitors to Atlas encounter is a massive prop jet plane that was used in 1985's Jewel of the Nile. Out in the desert, one of the most popular attractions is the Colosseum where Crowe fought in Gladiator.

Read more about Atlas Film Studios on Atlas Obscura...

Category: Museums and Collections, Unique Collections Location: Ouarzazat, Morocco Edited by: Nicholas Jackson, wythe