N'Kob to Tamnougalt

March 9, 2023

The day began as most of the previous days, with clear blue skies and cool temperatures. Two notable changes were that we started cycling directly from the hotel (yeah) and that it got significantly warmer by midday (not so yeah). Our destination was the Kasbah of the Caids, located in Tamnougalt, a few miles east of Agdz. We started out on R108, the main road between N’kob and Agdz. Traffic was light and respectful, but the route was fairly uninteresting – a long gentle climb and descent through a barren, rock-strewn landscape. There was great excitement when we spotted our first (for me) camel, and I was always enthused by the occasional stand of date palms splashed against a blue sky and/or desert hillside.

Date palms broke the visual monotony during the morning ride

After 22 miles, we left R108 and climbed a short ridge before dropping into the valley on the north side of the Draa River. There was a remarkable change in the landscape as we rode between an abundance of date palms along the river and red-hued hillsides evocative of Northern Arizona. The Draa is Morocco’s longest river, flowing from the High Atlas mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. The Draa Valley is renown as the “date basket of Morocco”, producing more than eighteen varieties of palm dates.

The agricultural activity of the valley is labor intensive, and we passed a number of small Berber settlements strung out along the valley. As I’d commonly observed in these less visited river valleys, we were warmly greeted by the Berber women and children, who acknowledged us with a slight nod of the head, a shy smile and/or small wave. Inevitably, young boys raced to the roadside to shout an hello and, if they reached us in time, to extend a hand for a “high five”. Though some of the slaps could be a bit too vigorous, I generally slowed down and opened my palm for the chance at a human connection.

Lunch was a picnic stop under a pair of acaia trees, another delightfully refreshing Moroccan salad accompanied by bread, fruit and plenty of water. It was a long, languid break, a respite from the midday sun and heat. I took a nature break behind a palm tree, avoiding the scorpions that I imagined were scurrying about – I’d only seen one scorpion but was intent on not encountering another with my pants down. Somewhat reluctantly, we left our spot of shaded bliss and got back on the bikes for the final eight miles to the Kasbah of the Caids. Lachem took the group on a pretty wild ride through the narrow streets of the Kasbah before leading us to our adjacent hotel where we were greeted with a glass of mint tea.

Cycling along the Draa River toward Mount Kissane (Jbel Kissane)

One of the many Berber settlements along the Draa Valley

Along the Draa Valley, known as Morocco's "date basket"

Some, but not all, of the headstones were engraved

Local football field, lined and cleared of rocks

I could not imagine a more ideal spot for a long, languid picnic lunch in the near desert

Setting off for the final stretch of the day

I only glimpsed the waters of the Draa River

After cleaning up, the group reconvened outside our hotel for a guided tour of the Kasbah of the Caids. Our guide (whose name I’ve shamefully forgotten) not only lives in the Kasbah but his family has been in this area since the 16th century. We first took a walk around the garden area at the rear of the Kasbah, where individual families have designated sections for the cultivation of a variety of crops that date palms, pomegranates, bamboo, grain and others. The Kasbah was an important center along the caravan route, and the high walls and turrets provided fortification against the nomadic tribes that roamed the Draa Valley in years past. Today, our guide’s family group still resides in the Kasbah, cooking in a small common area equipped with an oven and rudimentary kitchenware for baking bread. It was an extraordinary space that linked the past and the present, with a lifestyle seemingly preserved across generations.

Our tour started with a walk around the walled gardens of the Kasbah. It was noted that the building on the far hillside was one of the sites in the film Babel

Bamboo is used as a structural element in the Kasbah, among other things

The high rear wall of the Kasbah, facing the river

One of the many resident dogs of the Kasbah

The interior courtyard is surrounded by individual apartments, still occupied by current residents of the Kasbah

Our climb to the roof of the Kasbah gave views of the complex of buildings that comprise the Kasbah, as well as another look at the "Babel building" on the distant hill

The sectioned gardens along the river, as seen from the Kasbah roof

The Hesma, a five-fingered palm-shaped amulet, is a long-recognized sign of protection throughout North Africa and the Middle East

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 135 miles (217 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	14
Comment on this entry	Comment	3

Bill ShaneyfeltScorpions... I used to catch them as a college student back in AZ at ASU. Got a dime each! Till we saturated the market.

You will usually only encounter them about at night. Otherwise, you need to look under rocks, sticks, etc.

If you have a UV light, they glow!

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/ultraviolet-scorpion
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Keith Adams"... a pretty wild ride through the narrow streets of the Kasbah ..."

I was hoping for more details about this.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Susan CarpenterTo Keith AdamsWild referenced the cycling, not the environs. There is virtually no alcohol consumed here, except by tourists, so things never get very wild. But the ride took us on short alleys with many turns, twists and sudden ups and downs
Reply to this comment
1 year ago