How Morocco became the go-to film location for movies about Egypt

Egypt’s bureaucracy has prompted international filmmakers to use Morocco as a stand-in for Omm El Donia and other Arab countries, transforming our North African neighbors into one of the world’s most important filmmaking hubs, Ehab Boraie writes for Scene Arabia. Local and international filmmakers face a lengthy, complicated bureaucratic odyssey the permits and censorship clearance they need in Egypt. “Whenever Hollywood has needed to film in a desert or an Arab country, Morocco became the default location,” he says. When shooting The Mummy (1999), co-producer Patricia Carr decided it would be easier and cheaper to shoot the film in Morocco, using CGI technology “to make it look like Egypt.”