Moroccan Odyssey Day 15

Morocco Day 15: Leaving the Sahara  to Ouazazate

In the middle of the night, we all heard what we thought was rain.  We awoke to anther beautiful desert sunrise but realized that the rain was actually-

Sahara Sunrise

Sahara Sunrise

25mph winds (for Toby-what would a Cohen trip be without wind?).

Jeri getting  blown away in the 25 mph winds

Another day in the desert would have  had our skin nice and smooth from the natural dermabrasion, but we had more of Morocco to visit.  We piled back into our 4x4's for the exciting, bumpy trip back out into civilization.  

Dates are a staple here in Morocco.  I met a Moroccan man at breakfast one morning who waxed poetic about the health benefits of dates and encouraged me to eat dates at every meal as he does. Might require more bathroom time than I would like, but the dates here are delicious. We stopped at a date producer to check out (and buy) the dates.

As we got closer to Erfoud, we saw loads of school kids on their way to class.  Given their cycling habits, no helmets, narrow roads, and lots of traffic in the morning, it's a wonder that any of them make it to school alive!

We met up with our bus and our driver, Abdullah, back at the fossil workshop in Erfoud where we had left him (I hope he didn't sleep there for two days), and continued on toward Ourzazate.

Along the road we stopped to view the Khetteras, ancient underground irrigation systems that made farming possible in the oases of the Sahara.  The khettara system was likely introduced to Morocco around the 11th–12th centuries, from Persian qanats that spread across the Islamic world. In Morocco, it was perfected by Amazigh (Berber) engineers adapting it to desert geography. These systems allowed permanent settlement and date cultivation in what would otherwise be uninhabitable desert zones.

What is visible from the road is a line of circular holes stretching across the desert — these are the vent shafts of a khettara. Each hole is about 6 feet in diameter, forming a long line ending at  the oasis.

The system consists of  a  source well dug into the water table near the base of a mountain; an underground tunnel sloping slightly downward toward the oasis; vertical shafts 30-60 feet deep for ventilation and for maintenance; and an outlet at the oasis for irrigation.

Each khettara is a collective project, built and maintained by local families or tribal groups, who share both the work and the water according to traditional rules.

Since the 2023 earthquake, OAT has not permitted groups to go into the underground system due to instability of the tunnels so we had to just see them from above.


We visited Ferkla El Oulia a small oasis village not far from Erfoud.  It is a ksar, a fortified village or castle that is found throughout southern Morocco  especially along old caravan routes in the Sahara and Atlas Mountains.

The ksar an essential part of Berber and pre-Saharan architecture, blending defense and community living.

Ksar

The nursery school was particularly poingnat.  One teacher (no aide) to about 30  three and four year-olds.

Nursery school in the ksar

A far cry from what are grandchildren are experiencing!

We also visited a Berber museum which had photos and artifacts relating to the Berbers in this region.

Before our final push to Ourzazate, we stopped for lunch at a local eatery.  Their specialty was goat tagine, and we decided if we were ever going to try it, now would be a good time.

Jeri and I both agreed that we probably wouldn't go out of our way to have it, but it was certainly edible.

The hours on the bus were broken up by some beautiful views, 

but we were very happy to finally reach our hotel in Ouarzazate as the sun was setting.  Another long day on a bus (and another nail in the coffin of future bus trips).