When you drive south on the Trans-Sahara highway and arrive at the valley you won't believe there is such a bustling town here, or rather, towns. The view is nice. I'm less impressed with the old towns though.

First off, you need a guide. There wasn't a guide, I would have liked one but I think these days they just don't have people hanging around waiting for tourists as there aren't any. I just walked in, no guards, nobody minded, as long as you keep walking and don't stare around like a tourist. It's easy to get lost in these narrow passages but it seems to keep going. Felt like a mix between other sites, but it did not feel special either. I think the tangible essence of the site is not very obvious and many places around the world have these kind of living conditions. I did not enter the mosque by the way, as there was another clear sign not to enter.

I went to one more afterwards and it was the same experience. They luckily spare these housing areas from all the new development springing up all over the valley, although we aren't talking skyscrapers so it's actually well done and keeps the valley looking the same. The whole visit I didn't see a single UNESCO sign.