There was Game of Thrones, many scenes of which were filmed in Morocco, in Essaouira and around Aït Ben Haddou. Now there’s The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime and The Witcher on Netflix.
The Witcher and the red sands
Yesterday I found myself back in Morocco on Netflix, in the last two episodes of The Witcher. As well as saying goodbye to Henry Cavill and his famous “mmmm”, most of episode 7 saw Ciri lost in “the red sands” or “the frying pan” (the Korath desert).
And, seen from above, image taken from the official Netflix website:
Let me introduce you to Merzouga, near Erfoud and the Djebel Zireg.
Nevertheless, a few connecting scenes were filmed near London, in a Moorhouse Sandpits quarry, which, when properly framed, makes a perfectly acceptable desert. It was certainly less hot there than in Morocco, where the production schedule meant that these scenes were shot in the middle of summer, with temperatures in excess of 45°. Do you remember how "cool" the summer of 2022 was? The way we used to bathe in the fountains in Marrakesh? Then imagine it in the desert!
Ciri’s suffering is realistic.
However, the unicorn has been well protected from the sun. The Zireg sopes are clearly visible in the background. And on the left, the ropes of a tent to shelter the team!
Wheel of Time and Aiels’ Waste
These were just rumours, but the trailer confirms them.
The first scene that could have been filmed in Morocco is this one:
The trailer is so fast that it’s hard to get a good picture. Seen from another angle, it reminds me of this photo of M’Goun:
But this Aïels Waste is very clearly in Morocco, and I know these landscapes well!
Here’s the full trailer:
And of course, Siuan Sanche, the great chieftain of the Aes Sedai, still has her Berber tattoos, although they’re less visible than in season 1:
To sum up, in The Witcher we have Ciri, a princess with the most powerful magic in her world, and in Wheel of Time Rand Al Thor, a small farmer who is actually the reincarnation of the only man powerful enough to defeat the Dark One. Why not marry them?
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