Morocco travel

Following the route of the Dadés, a delightful valley extends between the harsh mountain landscape and deep rocky gorges dug out of the southern sides of the Atlas bu perennial wadis (essential arteries giving life to the oases) until it reaches the first dunes of the Sahara. A broad artificial basin has been created by the building of the el Mansour dam, making it possible today to provide regular irrigation for the land in this area, thus facilitating a considerable improvement in agricultural production. Beyond this basin begins that section of the Dades valley known as the “casbah Route” as it is quite literally dotted haphazardly with splendid oases and consequently with ancient fortified settlements. From Skoura to Boumalne this is the constant and characteristic architectural element of the landscape. And the unique dusky colour of the beaten earth used in the construction of these buildings stands out imperiously against the deep green of the valley, the bright ochre of the desert and the dark, almost reddish outline of the mountains, frequently illuminated by the glistening white peaks.

As is indicated by a historic signpost, at some 52 days journey from Timbuktu on the back of a dromedary, is a splendid oasis surrounding a town that, while now offering tourist services and structures of a good standard, is still proud of its long   and noble history. The presence of piles of stones representing the remains of ancient tombs scattered throughout the valley indicates that the area was already inhabited in very early time. It was in 1056 however, that Almoravide Abu Bakr (who would found the city of Marrakesh eight years later ) began the construction of a fortress here that later became the departure point for the ultimate conquest of power in Morocco. In fact, in the 16th century the Saadians, natives of this region, began the conquest first of Souss and then of the whole country at the time under the rule of the Merinid before undertaking the great advance that took them as far as Timbuktu. Today the city, lying 5 Kilometres to the north of Jebel Zagora on the banks of the Draa valley, which is the last stopping point before venturing into the heart of the dunes is visible only a few…

Not far from Zagora – a real ” gateway to the desert ” leading south – the splendid library of Tamegroute is well worth a serious visit. This small settlement is surrounded by a lush palm grove and the many mosques with roofs of blue-green tiles are evidence of its historic, and contemporary, religious role. In the 17th century a zaouia was founded here, a traditional religious school that also functions as a sanctuary housing the body of a marabout, a holy man who attracts pilgrims. Buried here is Sidi Mohamed Benaceur, founder of the zaouia – one of the most important in Saharan Morocco. Thus within the austere crenellated external walls there is an important library that conserves, among the thousands of items held, books written on gazelle hide, ancient volumes of history and medicine, as well as rare copies of the Koran, magnificently illuminated, including one dating from the 13th century. Talking of colours Tamegroute is justifiably proud of its production of ceramics cloured with dyes made from minerals mined near to the town. The busy workshops of these unsophisticated artists are just on the edge of the village. The palette of the craftsman potter is made up…

At the foot of Jebel Kissane, which flanks the river Draa for a few dozen kilometres, on the road that was constantly travelled by caravans heading south from Ouarzazate during the Middle Ages, is Agdz, a town of typically small houses plastered in red lending them a particularly rural appearance. Agdz is the centre of one of the five main oases in the valley dominating a series of cliffs, literally cut out by the Draa and rather interesting geologically as their unusual stratification lends the mountain a curious striped appearance. A colourful and lively market – distant reminder of its commercial past – is held in the central square of the town where, surrounded by characteristic small shop and cafés, one can buy spices, rock salt, fabrics and metal items decorated in the local style. THE RIVER DRAA The river Draa rises in the High Atlas from the confluence of two streams, the Dadés and the Ouarzazate, and in ancient times was the longest in Morocco. It might now seem strange, but both polybius and pliny in the fifth book of his Natural History, mention that originally the ‘flumen Darat’ was in fact crocodile infested. Today, instead, the Draa after…

Also known as the “valley of the thousand casbahs” due to the surprinsing number of fortified, earth-built settlements located around the oases in particular, the valley of the river Draa (between Ouarzazate and Mhamid) is considered one of the most lovely areas of Morocco. In the past, the Draa was a permanent river with abundant water flowing across some 1200 Kilometres before meeting the Atlantic ocean. Its presence is responsible for the numerous palm groves that cover much of this naturally arid valley together with fruit and fig trees and pomegranates. In the upper part of the river’s course date palms still grow, indicating the presence of numerous oases, but the waters, which rise not far from Ouarzazate at the foot of Jebel M’Goun, disappear into the sand after less than 300 Kilometres of the original route. This is partly due to the el Mansour Eddahbi dam built near to Ouarzazate with the intention of better utilising the waters of Draa by distributing them more equally to the 50 settlements scattered along the 200 kilometres of the valley. However, the building of the dam was to the detriment of the lower reaches of the Draa Valley where the old river…

The highest pass in Morocco is Tizi n’ Tichka ( 2260 metres), meaning the ‘passage of pastures’, and it marks the border between the western Anti Atlas and the High Atlas. Here, a route winds away from the main Marrakesh – Ouarzazate road, passing close to some interesting salt mines, and leads to the village pof Télouet at a height of 2000 metres. This quite splendid casbah is the result of many additions ans adaptations first begun in the early 20th century. The grandeur of the typically Berber structures and the magnificent Andalusian style decorations in plaster, carved wood and coloured tiles (an unusual combination of two architectural styles in a casbah huddled in the austere solitude of a mountainous landscape) recall the splendours of the powerful pasha Galoui, lord of the southern Atlas who died in 1957. The poor state of conservation and the feeling of fragility that today seem to threaten this once powerful fortress are evidence of the increasing and worrying risk of decline and ruin. Such imposing grandeur might appear unusual in an environment that is so wild and unwelcoming al-most lunar in some areas – yet there is a logical explanation that is also evident…

The majestic, jagged “Mountain of Mountains” separates the Atlantic ocean from the Sahara Desert and extends right up to the Rif massif and over to the coast of the Mediterranean. The chain is made up of a series of mountain ranges, ascending from north-east to south-west : the Anti Atlas, High Atlas, Grand Atlas, Saharan Atlas and Lower Atlas. The High Atlas in particular, Adrar n’Dern in Berber, With its glistening snowy peaks soaring above the desert plains, is without doubt the roof of Morocco reaching over 4000 metres in height (the highest summit, Toubkal, is 4167 metres high). At the foot of these cragged peaks lie gentle valleys, filled with flowers in the springtime, dotted with small villages and immense granaries, sweeping down towards the sea where the mountains seem almost to bow down before the Atlantic ocean. In the warm season, the natural scenery is quite magnificent and visitors discover the unexpected marvels of a country that is on the threshold of the desert.

In Fint a splendid oasis with 1500 inhabitants and a school, set in an extraordinarily beautiful environment, it is possible to see how the Berber people live today. Fint is approached from Tinerhir, through the Todgha Gorge, enclosed by mountains and flourshing palm groves, unexpectedly opening out into a green plain which provides a perfect habitat for many species of animals.

The road that leads from Ouarzazate to Tafilelt crosses a network of perennial wadis, an element fundamental for the existence of oases; this water first cuts through the rock of the Atlas Mountains to then gush from canyons and deep gorges. The route is rightly known as the ” road of a thousand casbahs ” due to the close succession of numerous ksour dominated by their relative casbah, the residence of the village elders, that  is also built entirely of earth and stone, and has the impressive, majestic appearance of a defensive fortress. other casbahs, instead, tower in isolation dominating the immense bleak expanse, but the atmosphere that they seem to provoke in the surrounding environment is always extraordinary. Striking in its evocative solitude is the casbah of Talmassla which is also noted today for a most unusual feature : on the outer walls, now partly damaged by the harsh weather and climate, austere, majestic storks have built their nests.

A few kilometres from Ouarzazate on the Marrakesh road, at a height of 1160 metres, stands the casbah of Tiffoultoute, a historic property of the Glaoui family. Built more than two centuries ago in the characteristic light ochre-coloured hardened clay, it was probably restored at a later date. In the past, its inhabitants represented a threat for Makhzen and Ouarzazate as well as for the surrounding area. Today the casbah boasts a hotel and restaurant and is simply an attraction for passing tourists who wish to enjoy the manificent view over the valley furrowed out by the ouarzazate wadi.