House of the Dragon: Morocco 'inspired' Game of Thrones prequel's princess costume

House of the Dragon's award-winning French costume designer Jany Temime said that the coronation gown of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, one of the show's major characters, was partly inspired by Moroccan culture and history.

In a recent interview with Tatler magazine, Temime said she was captivated by the sublimely "mysterious" looks of ancient Moroccan brides - and especially their large, magnificent earrings - when designing Targaryen's wardrobe.

'I found these earrings and made them longer and longer and longer, and I thought it looked mysterious'

- Jany Temime, 'House of the Dragon' costume designer

The HBO blockbuster series House of the Dragon is the prequel to Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011-2019 and was arguably the world's most popular television show.

"I got a lot of inspiration from Moroccan brides. I found these earrings and made them longer and longer and longer, and I thought it looked mysterious," the designer, who worked on films such as Skyfall and six of the Harry Potter movies, explained in the interview.

Targaryen's coronation dress, Temime added, was difficult to design because it was supposed to be antique for the time.

"I wanted to do something cultural but not too recognisable. Their world is completely fantasy, and it's difficult when you're trying to create a unique, antique and special dress.

@meediscover Moroccan brides inspire House of the Dragon accessories #houseofthedragon #moroccanbride #morocco #maghreb #learntok ♬ Moroccan Berber Music - bluepanda

"I wanted to create a beautiful version of something that viewers would be interested in wearing themselves. One way people connect with characters is if who they see onscreen resembles them in some way, so you need to draw inspiration from many places."

From Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator to Babel, Morocco has long been inspiring the world's film and television industry, with an impressive list of movies shot in the country.

And now, in the age of streaming giants such as HBO and Netflix, Morocco's rich culture and history still manages to fascinate and inspire the world's content creators.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.