Erfoud
Encyclopedia
Erfoud is an oasis
town in the Sahara Desert, in in the Meknès-Tafilalet
of the Maghreb
region in eastern Morocco
. It is located at 31°26′10"N 4°13′58"W.
Erfoud is divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Annahda, Hay el Hamri.
Due to its proximity to Merzouga
desert village in the Erg Chebbi
Dunes, Erfoud has developed tourist related infrastructures such as hotels and restaurants.
for many films, including:
"March or Die"
1977 - Director Dick Richards
French Foreign Legion
aries defend an archaeological excavation from attack by Moroccan revolutionaries led by Abd el-Krim, in March or Die
, starring Gene Hackman
as Major William Sharman Foster. Foster is ordered to guard the safety of Louvre
archeologists, who are uncovering an ancient city near Erfoud buried by a sand storm 3,000 years ago. The site is the resting place of a Berber Saint
, "The Angel of the Desert".
"The Mummy"
1999 - Director Stephen Sommers
Filming began in Marrakech, Morocco on May 4, 1998 and lasted 17 weeks. Photography then moved to the Sahara desert outside the small town of Erfoud, and then to the United Kingdom before completion of shooting on August 29, 1998. The crew could not shoot in Egypt because of the unstable political conditions.
Production Designer Allan Cameron found a dormant volcano
near Erfoud where the entire set for Hamunaptra could be constructed. Sommers liked the location because, "A city hidden in the crater of an extinct volcano made perfect sense. Out in the middle of the desert you would never see it. You would never think of entering the crater unless you knew what was inside that volcano."
A survey of the volcano was conducted so that an accurate model and scale models of the columns and statues could be replicated back at Shepperton Studios
, where all of the scenes involving the underground passageways of the City of the Dead were shot.
"Prince of Persia"
2010 - Director Dick Richards
Mike Newell
selected Morocco
as a shooting location for Prince of Persia and also planned to film in Pinewood Studios
. Production was scheduled to begin in mid-June 2008. Filming began in July 2008 in Morocco as well as London
, with actors Jake Gyllenhaal
and Gemma Arterton
. Eight weeks were spent in Morocco before the first unit moved to Pinewood.
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
town in the Sahara Desert, in in the Meknès-Tafilalet
Meknès-Tafilalet
Meknès-Tafilalet is one of the sixteen regions of Morocco. It is situated in north-central Morocco, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 79,210 km² and has a population of 2,141,527...
of the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
region in eastern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It is located at 31°26′10"N 4°13′58"W.
Erfoud is divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Annahda, Hay el Hamri.
Due to its proximity to Merzouga
Merzouga
Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about 35 kilometerssoutheast of Rissani, about 45 kilometers from Erfoud, and about 50 kilometers from the Algerian border....
desert village in the Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbi is one of Morocco's two Saharan ergs – large dunes formed by wind-blown sand –. The other is Erg Chigaga near M'hamid....
Dunes, Erfoud has developed tourist related infrastructures such as hotels and restaurants.
Filming location
Erfoud is a destination for filmmakers due to the beauty of the surrounding Sahara Desert and the town's oasis areas. Erfoud has been a filming locationFilming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
for many films, including:
"March or Die"
1977 - Director Dick Richards
French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
aries defend an archaeological excavation from attack by Moroccan revolutionaries led by Abd el-Krim, in March or Die
March or Die (film)
March or Die is a 1977 film directed by Dick Richards, starring Gene Hackman, Terence Hill, Catherine Deneuve and Ian Holm.The film celebrates the 1920s French Foreign Legion...
, starring Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Major William Sharman Foster. Foster is ordered to guard the safety of Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
archeologists, who are uncovering an ancient city near Erfoud buried by a sand storm 3,000 years ago. The site is the resting place of a Berber Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, "The Angel of the Desert".
"The Mummy"
1999 - Director Stephen Sommers
Filming began in Marrakech, Morocco on May 4, 1998 and lasted 17 weeks. Photography then moved to the Sahara desert outside the small town of Erfoud, and then to the United Kingdom before completion of shooting on August 29, 1998. The crew could not shoot in Egypt because of the unstable political conditions.
Production Designer Allan Cameron found a dormant volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
near Erfoud where the entire set for Hamunaptra could be constructed. Sommers liked the location because, "A city hidden in the crater of an extinct volcano made perfect sense. Out in the middle of the desert you would never see it. You would never think of entering the crater unless you knew what was inside that volcano."
A survey of the volcano was conducted so that an accurate model and scale models of the columns and statues could be replicated back at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
, where all of the scenes involving the underground passageways of the City of the Dead were shot.
"Prince of Persia"
2010 - Director Dick Richards
Mike Newell
Mike Newell (director)
Michael Cormac "Mike" Newell is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for television. After the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, Newell became the third most commercially successful British director in recent years, behind Christopher Nolan...
selected Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
as a shooting location for Prince of Persia and also planned to film in Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
. Production was scheduled to begin in mid-June 2008. Filming began in July 2008 in Morocco as well as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with actors Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
and Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara...
. Eight weeks were spent in Morocco before the first unit moved to Pinewood.