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.