Our history

Although he chose the Atlas Mountains as the setting for his Riad, it will soon take an atlas to tell the countless stories of Pascal Petrone. Originally an accountant and then a businessman, this man from Marseille fell in love with the region where he initially simply wanted to buy a house. House after house, renovation after renovation, one thing led to another and Pascal soon grew from 4 houses to the 50 that make up the Riad Ksar Ighnda, a magnificent and well-known hotel not far from Ouarzazate.
A character in his own right, Pascal is as much a visionary as a gentle dreamer who lets himself be carried along by opportunities. In 20 years, he has built up a renowned Riad and a solid reputation. Everyone knows 'Monsieur Pascal' here in Asfalou, and some people even call it 'Pascal's village'.
Ksar Ighnda could be the story of a madman, but it is above all the story of a madman, and that madman is Pascal Petrone. It's an incredible story, almost romantic, a story of defending your land with sticks. Even if the setting at the gateway to the desert might lead you to believe it, you're not in the tales of yesteryear or the Arabian Nights, but in the Moroccan High Atlas in the early 2000s.
Pascal has a thousand stories to tell, each more improbable than the last. Ksar Ighnda is above all an adventure, from the 1st house bought in 2005 to the last suites renovated in 2024. These are stories that Brahim could tell better than anyone, as he has been part of the staff since the very beginning of the project, among the first to believe in it. Since then, many others have followed 'Pascal le fou' in this adventure, from Brahim to Gérard, a retired man he met at the Riad who, since their first meeting, has never let go of Pascal and supports him on site. From customer to friend, that's the story of Ksar Ighnda: encounters, warmth, laughter and smiles that transcend and leave no one indifferent.