Founded in 1983 in Ouarzazate, Atlas Studios sprawls across roughly 322 hectares — the largest film studios in the world by surface area — and has hosted everything from 'Cleopatra' to 'Game of Thrones'.
In **Ouarzazate**, at the gateway of the Sahara, **Atlas Studios** has turned a stretch of desert into one of cinema's most prolific landscapes. Founded in **1983** by Moroccan entrepreneur **Mohamed Belghmi**, it is the largest film studio complex in the world by surface area.
**322 Hectares of Sets:**
With its grounds extending over roughly **322 hectares**, Atlas Studios dwarfs any other studio in the world. Its open desert plains, ancient-looking standing sets and proximity to the **kasbahs of Aït Benhaddou** and the **Atlas Mountains** make it a one-stop shop for biblical, Roman, Egyptian and medieval productions.
**A Hollywood of Sand:**
Among the films and series shot there or in the surrounding region: **"Lawrence of Arabia"** (in earlier productions of the area), **"The Last Temptation of Christ", "Cleopatra", "Gladiator", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Babel", "The Mummy"** and James Bond's **"Spectre"**.
**The Game of Thrones Era:**
HBO's **"Game of Thrones"** filmed several Essos cities — notably **Yunkai** and **Pentos** — at Aït Benhaddou and on the Atlas Studios sets, while interiors and additional scenes were shot in Ouarzazate itself, alongside other major series like **"Prison Break"** and **"Asterix"**.
**An Industry for Ouarzazate:**
The studios have transformed Ouarzazate into the engine of an entire local industry — film technicians, set builders, costume specialists, extras, drivers, hospitality. The city has been nicknamed **"Ouallywood"** in tribute to its cinematic vocation.
**A Museum and a Working Studio:**
Today, Atlas Studios operates both as an active production hub for international shoots and as a tourist destination, with parts of its standing sets open to visitors who walk among the remains of Roman temples, Egyptian palaces and Tibetan monasteries — all under the same Moroccan sky.