Film locations · Morocco travel guide

Where Was The Odyssey Filmed in Morocco?

Christopher Nolan used Morocco to create Troy, its surrounding landscapes and several important interiors in The Odyssey. The main confirmed filming locations include Aït Benhaddou, Essaouira and Marrakech, with additional production work around Ouarzazate, Tahnaout, Al Haouz and Dakhla.

Here is what was filmed at each location, what visitors can still see today and how to plan a trip between the most accessible sites.

Written by Hamid El Maimouni,
Morocco travel expert.
Updated July 24, 2026.

Production activity near Aït Benhaddou, the Moroccan location used to represent Troy.

The quick answer

Where was The Odyssey filmed in Morocco? Aït Benhaddou near Ouarzazate was transformed into the city of Troy. The beaches of Essaouira were used for the discovery of the Trojan Horse and the departure of Odysseus and his men. A Marrakech interior was used for the palace of King Menelaus.

Trade reporting also identified production activity around Ouarzazate, Tahnaout, the wider Al Haouz region and Dakhla. The exact scenes filmed at some of these secondary locations have not all been publicly identified.

Confirmed The Odyssey filming locations in Morocco

Moroccan locations used during production of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
Location	What it represented	Can you visit?
Aït Benhaddou	The ancient city of Troy and the fall of Troy	Yes
Essaouira	The shore where the Trojan Horse was found and the departure from Troy	Yes
Marrakech	An interior used for the palace of King Menelaus	The city is visitable, but the exact private interior may not be publicly accessible
Ouarzazate	Production base and additional regional filming	Yes
Tahnaout and Al Haouz	Additional landscape and regional production work	Yes, although exact scene locations are not fully public
Dakhla, Western Sahara	Coastal production sequences	Yes, but it requires a separate journey and the territory’s political status is disputed

Aït Benhaddou became the ancient city of Troy

The most important Moroccan filming location was Aït Benhaddou, a historic fortified village near Ouarzazate. Instead of filming the Troy scenes in modern-day Turkey, the production used the reddish earthen walls and towers of this southern Moroccan ksar.

Production designer Ruth De Jong explained that the crew constructed roughly two and a half acres of practical sets beside the existing village. This allowed the real buildings and the temporary structures to appear as one much larger city on screen.

The temporary parts of Troy could be damaged and burned during filming without harming the protected village. The existing ksar was not burned.

Aït Benhaddou has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987. UNESCO describes it as an important example of traditional pre-Saharan earthen architecture. Its defensive walls, towers, narrow passages and clay buildings gave Nolan a real physical background rather than a completely digital city.

The village was used for scenes showing the end of the Trojan War, including soldiers moving through Troy at night and the city falling around them.

Production collage showing the practical Troy set built near Ait Benhaddou — Practical Troy set construction beside the existing buildings of Aït Benhaddou.

Production comparison showing the Trojan Horse staging area and Ait Benhaddou in Morocco — The Troy production area and the surrounding landscape near Aït Benhaddou.

Production comparison showing filming at Ait Benhaddou during the day and at night — Day and night production activity near the Troy set.

Can visitors still see the Troy set?

Visitors can explore Aït Benhaddou and recognize the natural landscape, earthen walls and village outline seen in the film. However, much of the large Troy extension was built as a temporary production set.

Do not expect the complete movie city to remain exactly as it appeared on screen. Some structures may have been removed, altered or dismantled after filming.

You can read our Aït Benhaddou travel guide for practical information about visiting the village.

Essaouira was used for the Trojan Horse beach

The Atlantic coast around Essaouira provided the shore where the Trojans discover the wooden horse. It was also used for the point where Odysseus and his men leave Troy and begin their journey home.

This is one of the easiest locations from the film to include in a Morocco trip. Essaouira is around three hours from Marrakech by road and works as either a day trip or a two-night coastal stay.

The beaches around Essaouira are broad, windy and open. That gave the production enough room for horses, performers, equipment and the full-size Trojan Horse prop.

The large horse was a physical prop rather than a completely digital creation. Reporting about the production described the prop as weighing several thousand pounds and requiring a large group of performers and stunt workers to move it through the sand and surf.

User-supplied video showing horsemen on the Moroccan coast during the production period.

Large Trojan Horse prop on a Moroccan beach with performers nearby — The large Trojan Horse prop on the Moroccan coast.

Horseback production view crossing Moroccan coastal dunes toward the Atlantic Ocean — Horseback production activity across the coastal dunes.

Costumed horsemen riding white horses along a sandy track in Morocco — Costumed riders approaching along a sandy track.

Close production view of a helmeted horseman riding a white horse — A closer view of one of the costumed horsemen.

Costumed riders on white horses travelling along a sandy road in Morocco — Riders moving along the coastal production route.

Costumed riders approaching on white horses during evening filming in Morocco — Additional evening horseback production activity.

Can you visit the exact Trojan Horse beach?

You can visit the Essaouira coastline, but visitors should not expect a marked official movie site or a permanent Trojan Horse prop. Beach access, tides and local conditions also change.

The better approach is to visit Essaouira for its medina, fishing harbour, ramparts and Atlantic beaches, then treat the filming connection as part of the wider experience.

See our private Essaouira tour from Marrakech.

Marrakech provided the palace of King Menelaus

Marrakech was used for an interior representing the palace of King Menelaus. In the story, Telemachus visits Menelaus and Helen while searching for information about his missing father.

The production designer has confirmed that the interior was found during the Morocco location search. However, the precise building has not been widely identified in reliable public reporting.

For that reason, articles and tours should not advertise a particular riad, palace or private property as the confirmed location without direct evidence from the production or property owner.

Marrakech still makes the best base for a filming-location trip. It has the largest range of flights and accommodation, and both Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou can be connected to the city by road.

Ouarzazate, Tahnaout and the Al Haouz region

Moroccan and international production reporting also named Ouarzazate, Tahnaout and the wider Al Haouz region among the areas used by the film.

Ouarzazate is the main film-production centre in southern Morocco and the closest city to Aït Benhaddou. It offers studios, experienced local crews, equipment suppliers and access to a wide range of desert, mountain and kasbah landscapes.

Tahnaout and Al Haouz sit south of Marrakech near the High Atlas Mountains. Their dry valleys, rocky ground and open landscapes are suitable for scenes that need an ancient or isolated appearance.

The specific finished scenes connected to every one of these areas have not been fully documented publicly. It is safer to describe them as additional production areas rather than claiming a precise scene without a reliable source.

Was The Odyssey also filmed in Dakhla?

Yes. Production activity was reported around Dakhla on the Atlantic coast in Western Sahara.

This location requires clear context. Western Sahara is a disputed territory, and its final political status remains unresolved. Sahrawi organizations and campaign groups criticized the production’s decision to film there.

Some reporting and online posts have mixed the Dakhla footage with the better-documented Essaouira beach scenes. Unless a specific image or shot has been independently geolocated, it is better to describe it as Moroccan or Western Saharan coastal production context rather than confidently assigning it to one beach.

Dakhla is also far from the Marrakech, Essaouira and Ouarzazate route. Travellers normally reach it by air or a long journey south, so it should be planned as a separate part of a Morocco itinerary.

The Odyssey locations filmed outside Morocco

Morocco played a major role in creating Troy, but the complete film was shot across several countries.

Favignana, an island west of Sicily in Italy, was used to represent Ithaca. The exterior of Odysseus’s home was filmed around the hilltop Castello di Santa Caterina.

Production also took place in Greece, including the Peloponnese. Nestor’s Cave and surrounding coastal landscapes were used during the production of the Cyclops sequence.

Iceland supplied black beaches and volcanic landscapes for the Underworld, while parts of Scotland were used for Circe’s remote coastal home. Additional studio work was completed in the United States.

Castello di Santa Caterina on Favignana, Italy, used during production of The Odyssey — Castello di Santa Caterina on Favignana, one of the Italian locations used for Ithaca.

Favignana hillside and production base camp in Italy — Favignana hillside and production access context.

Crew and performers entering Nestor's Cave in Greece during production of The Odyssey — Production activity at Nestor’s Cave in Greece.

How to visit The Odyssey filming locations in Morocco

The three practical locations for most travellers are Marrakech, Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou. Trying to visit all three in two or three days would mean spending most of the trip in a vehicle.

A five-day route is more realistic:

Day 1: Marrakech.
Explore the medina and the city’s historic palaces.
Day 2: Marrakech to Aït Benhaddou.
Cross the High Atlas Mountains and visit the ksar before staying near Aït Benhaddou or Ouarzazate.
Day 3: Ouarzazate to Marrakech.
Visit additional film-related sites around Ouarzazate before returning across the mountains.
Day 4: Marrakech to Essaouira.
Travel west to the Atlantic coast and explore the medina and harbour.
Day 5: Essaouira.
Visit the coastline before returning to Marrakech or continuing your Morocco trip.

Adding a sixth day makes the route more comfortable, especially for families or anyone who does not want two long mountain drives close together.

What remains from the production?

The real village and landscape of Aït Benhaddou remain.
The temporary Troy extensions may no longer be complete.
The Essaouira beaches remain accessible, but the Trojan Horse prop is not a permanent attraction.
The exact Marrakech palace interior may be private or unidentified.
Access to active or former production areas can change without notice.

Respect the real locations

Aït Benhaddou is not an abandoned movie set. It is a protected heritage site and a living community. Visitors should remain on appropriate paths, avoid climbing fragile walls and ask permission before photographing residents closely.

The same rule applies to rural beaches and villages. Do not enter private land simply because an image online claims that a film scene was recorded there.

Frequently asked questions

Was The Odyssey filmed in Morocco?

Yes. Major parts of Christopher Nolan’s film were shot in Morocco, especially the scenes connected to Troy.

Where was Troy filmed in The Odyssey?

Troy was constructed beside Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-listed earthen village near Ouarzazate in southern Morocco.

Where was the Trojan Horse scene filmed?

The discovery of the Trojan Horse and the departure from Troy were filmed on the Atlantic coast around Essaouira. Other coastal production activity also took place farther south.

Was The Odyssey filmed in Marrakech?

Yes. A Marrakech interior was used to represent the palace of King Menelaus. The exact building has not been clearly identified in reliable public sources.

Can tourists visit The Odyssey filming locations?

Yes. Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Marrakech and Essaouira are established travel destinations. However, temporary sets and props may have been removed after filming.

Was the whole movie filmed in Morocco?

No. The production also filmed in Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and the United States.

How many days are needed to visit the main Morocco locations?

Plan at least five days for Marrakech, Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and Essaouira. Six days will provide a more comfortable pace.

Plan a private Odyssey filming-locations trip

Morocco Travel Experts can combine Marrakech, Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and Essaouira into a private route with a driver, local guides and accommodation selected around your preferred pace.

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Where Was The Odyssey Filmed in Morocco? Complete Location Guide