Tucked into the hills of the Middle Atlas Mountains, Azrou is a welcome break from the crowds and noise of the imperial cities, and, at nearly 3,940 feet (1,200 meters) in elevation, it’s also a great place to escape the heat.
Azrou, which translates literally to ‘rock’ in the local Amazigh language, is named for the large, black volcanic outcrop in the center of town. The name is fitting in more ways than one. The verdant Middle Atlas rise above Azrou, with hardscrabble cliff faces serving as the only break in the landscape. The city also serves as the foundation of regional trade and social life. Locals in mountain villages nearby make use of the bustling market as their weekly source of food, supplies and gossip. (more…)
Taliouine is a small village located near the city of Taroudant, in the southern Souss region of Morocco. The village is situated in the
Located in northern Morocco in the
With a population around 50,000 people, Azrou, Morocco, in which “Azru” in the Berber dialect means “stone” or “rock,” is one of the more-populated towns in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Dwarfing nearby Ifrane in number, Azrou is an important Berber town and functions as a junction to the market centers of Fez, Meknes, Midelt, and Kenifra.
Ifrane is a small city of less than 10,000 people (50,000 in summer) located in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco, just 58 kilometers south of Fez. The town was set up by the French during their colonization period as a quasi-ski resort, and they actually took the name from nearby Sidi AbddalSalam Zawiya, a small Berber village 15 kilometers away. Not many tourists spend a whole lot of time in Ifrane, but giving it a day or two is worthwhile once one discovers the outlying natural gems that surround the region.
Volubilis is not a town in Morocco, but rather a set of Roman ruins situated near Moulay Idriss and outside of Meknes. The spot was probably chosen for its rich soil that would reap abundant crops, especially olives.