In the surrounding area
Rissani
Rissani , the commercial heart of the region, is a very lively center.
The souk of the city is a colorful place, very frequented by the inhabitants of the surrounding communes and the nomads of the desert. You can go there by public transport on Thursday and Sunday.
The dates , production of the area, represent an important local trade.
The monumental gateway to the city is one of the most beautiful in Morocco.
It is the ancient capital of Tafilalet . Under the name of Sijilmassa, it was a major caravan center of trans-Saharan trade, the most important in Morocco, in the Middle Ages. Most of the traffic with Black Africa was in gold, ivory, slaves and salt from the Sudan.
Rissani's location as a crossroads between the north and the south still gives the city an important status.
On the outskirts, you can also visit the Mausoleum of Ali Moulay Cherif, leader of Tafilalet in the seventeenth century and father of the current Alaouite dynasty. The monument is a cultural, religious and local tourist attraction.
The souk of the city is a colorful place, very frequented by the inhabitants of the surrounding communes and the nomads of the desert. You can go there by public transport on Thursday and Sunday.
The dates , production of the area, represent an important local trade.
The monumental gateway to the city is one of the most beautiful in Morocco.
It is the ancient capital of Tafilalet . Under the name of Sijilmassa, it was a major caravan center of trans-Saharan trade, the most important in Morocco, in the Middle Ages. Most of the traffic with Black Africa was in gold, ivory, slaves and salt from the Sudan.
Rissani's location as a crossroads between the north and the south still gives the city an important status.
On the outskirts, you can also visit the Mausoleum of Ali Moulay Cherif, leader of Tafilalet in the seventeenth century and father of the current Alaouite dynasty. The monument is a cultural, religious and local tourist attraction.
Taouz
The former garrison town of Taouz , very active under the French protectorate, is today a sleepy town which remains nevertheless attractive by its vestiges and the rock engravings discovered nearby.
This is also where the tarred road stops to make way for the track. 4x4 obligatory !
Khamlia
On the road, you can stop at the black village of Khamlia . It is home to the "Bambaras", a population also known as Gnawa , descendants of slaves from black Africa who perpetuate traditional music.
Erfoud
The region is famous for the fossils present in great quantity in the surroundings of Erfoud .
The stones are cut and polished to make utilitarian and decorative objects. The work is artisanal and the small workshops are very numerous.
The stones are cut and polished to make utilitarian and decorative objects. The work is artisanal and the small workshops are very numerous.
The Reg
In the reg , accessible only by 4x4, you can discover beautiful landscapes, but also old lead mines now abandoned, sites of extraction of baryte, sand roses, and also meet nomadic Berber families who live with their herds of goats or dromedaries.
The reg is also very popular for meteorite research. Many scientists from all over the world come here every year to find specimens that are often very interesting.
You may even have the chance to witness the fascinating spectacle of a falling meteorite in the starry sky!
You may even have the chance to witness the fascinating spectacle of a falling meteorite in the starry sky!