Morocco - Gara Medouar, Celestial staircase, Golden spiral & Orion city
It was time to leave the sand behind and head back to the mountains. On the way we had a few “must-see” places on our list. The first were three artistic landmarks - L’Escalier Céleste, La Spirale d’Or, and La Cité d’Orion - installations built by German artist Hannsjörg Voth. Once again we were lucky: there were no other visitors around, and we had the whole place completely to ourselves.
On the way back to the road we came across an abandoned and clogged khettara, a traditional underground irrigation system. After a short drive we reached Gara Medouar, also known as Jebel Mudawwar (“Round Mountain”). It is a horseshoe-shaped geological formation with a rich history. After the main wall was built to enclose it, the site was used for different purposes from the 11th century onward.
The dramatic landscape has also made it a popular filming location. The site was used during the production of The Mummy, where the ancient city of Hamunaptra was built here, and it later appeared as the headquarters of the villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Spectre.
Of course, we had to drive to the top and enjoy the stunning views. Later we parked at the bottom under a tree for a refreshing lunch before driving around the formation from the outside to look for a camp spot. We chose a small palm grove nearby and spent the night there, enjoying the incredible view of the Milky Way.
