Across the High Atlas: Day 1

            There is something about the lands lying beyond a barrier range of mountains that draws the imagination.  The Atlas Mountains slice through Morocco, dividing the region bordering the coast from the interior.   Like many geographic barriers, the Atlas Range divides language and culture in a distinct fashion.  The area east of the High Atlas was and is dominated by the Berbers.   The region has an historical importance: the Berber tribe of the Almoravids conquered a large region of northwest Africa in the late 11^th Century, building on a trade network already established by the Sufris in Sijilmassa.  The region that extends east of the mountains from Marrakech to the Algerian border is administratively known as the Oaurzazate Province. 

            

During the Middle Ages, gold from the mines of the Empires of Ghana and Mali were carried north in the trans-Saharan trade, and salt made its way south.  Camel caravans carried gold from Koumbei Saleh (an archaeological site identified as the capital of the Empire of Ghana) and later Timbuktu north to the city of Sijilmassa.  From Sijilmassa, the gold was transferred to donkey trains for the trek over the Atlas Range to Marrakech.  

            The trek from Sijilmassa to Marrakech is a long route (approx. 500 km) that alternates between arid regions and oases, culminating in a passage over the Tizi-n-Tichka pass and into the valley where Marrakech is found.  The trek from Timbuktu to Sijilmassa took roughly 52 days, and caravans were relatively safe from brigands in the Sahara due to its remoteness.  The trek from Sijilmassa to Marrakech, however, was by no means safe.   The route passes through numerous population centers that cluster around oases.  Kasbahs are large fortified houses that dominate the route, providing protection for travelers at night.   I don’t know the precise economics of how the traders worked with the kasbahs, but it seems almost axiomatic that the chiefs of the kasbahs would take a cut of gold or salt in exchange for protection. 

            Ourzazate Province is dominated by Berbers, and is populated by polyglots, with odd mixtures of Berber tongues, Arabic, and French. 

My experiment is called ATLAS, with little relation to the Atlas Mountains other than the name.  There are four "Overview Weeks" held a year for the collaboration to get a high-level view of results, the status of the experiment and issues.   Once a year, the Overview Week is held in an outside venue. 

            When I first learned that our ATLAS Overview Week was being held in Marrakech, I tried to organize a trip over the Atlas Range out to the edge of the Ourzazate Province to see the ruins of Sijilmassa and ride a camel into the desert.     Abdeslam Hoummada, the organizer of the Overview Week, helped put together the trek.  Five other ATLAS Collaborators joined me: Al, Jene, Dhiman, Marco, and Angelika.   We gathered at the front of the Kenzi-Farah Hotel in Marrakech on Friday (Oct 4, 2013).   

            Hassan II was from Merzouga, which is at the edge of the Erg Chebbi, a large patch of sand dunes in the desert just across the border from Algeria.   Neither of the Hassans spoke English.   Hassan I had a rudimentary grasp of French and Hassan II had some facility in Spanish.    Both, however, were fluent in their dialect of Berber and their Berber-inflected version of Arabic.  Hassan I was 100% Berber, while Hassan II was half Berber, half Taureg.

Map of trip.   The first day was from Marrakech to the Dades Gorge. The second day was from the Dades Gorge to Merzouga and by camel into the Erg Chebbi. The third day was from Erg Chebbi to Merzouga and then back to Marrakech.   Distance scale - for reference - the drive from Merzouga to Marrakech is approximately 500 km.  (Click on any figure to enlarge)

            The two 4x4’s left Marrakech toward the east and the mountains.  We passed out through the suburbs in the valley.   After an hour, we began to gain some elevation and stopped at the town of Ait Ourir, which is a cross-roads and marked the start of the climb into the Atlas Range.   I should mention some Berber-inflected Arabic.   The term “ait” means “the people of” and is often a prefix for town names in the Berber regions.  The work coming after “ait” typically designates the family name of a local chief.   

Roadsign in Ait Ourir.   This marks the start of the climb into the High Atlas. 

Donkeys in Ait Ourir.   This is a widely used traditional means of transport as far east as the start of the Sahara. 

            Climbing into the high Atlas, we first slowly gained elevation.   Palms gave way to pines, and then we passed the tree line.  In the high elevation, the road switch-backed in tight curves, slowly making way up to the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2250 meters.   This part of the range is mostly limestone and is rich in fossils.   The roadside had a huge number of stands where locals sold minerals and fossils they scavenged from the hills.  Tizi means pass in the local Berber-Arabic dialect.

            

Looking west from the Tizi-n-Tichka pass.

Once over the pass, we were into Oaurzazate Province and began a rapid descent from the High Atlas.  Along the way we crossed numerous police check points along the road.   Our first major destination was the Kasbah Ait BenHaddou.  Although there was a paved road to the Kasbah, it was a long way around, so we went overland on a bumpy track of about 10 km to reach the town.  

Dusty, bumpy drive toward Ait Ben Haddou.

           I already explained the word “Ait” in place names.   I should also mention that “Ben” is a similar prefix, but means “son of”, much like “Mc” or “Mac” functions in Celtic languages.   “Ben” is a Moroccan dialect version of  “Ban” which is found in other Arab-speaking regions.   So, the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou can be translated roughly as “the castle of the people of the son of Haddou”. 

            The Kasbah is striking – part of it is the sheer size of the complex in contrast to its relatively remote location.   One can imagine that it was a major resting point for donkey caravans before they began their climb toward the Tichka pass.  The construction of the walls is classic of the area.   Clay is mixed with straw and rocks which are baked in the sun into a reddish color.   The tops of the walls are topped by reeds that are then covered by a layer of small rocks held together in a matrix of mud/clay. 

            We had lunch in the town at the base of the Kasbah, and then hiked up to the top of the structure, with a tremendous view of the surrounding area.   The site is ideal for defense against invaders – there’s an intermittent river at the base, and the location offered a 360^o view for miles. 

            Kasbah Ait BenHaddou is so impressive that it was used as a site in a large number of Hollywood films.   Some of my personal favorites are The Man Who Would be King, The Sheltering Sky, and The Last Temptation of Christ.   

A view of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou from a distance.

Looking down from the top of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou.

Leaving the Kasbah, we made our way into the provincial capital of Oaurzazate.  I was surprised to learn how late this area came under French control.   The Berbers were so fierce and their territory so remote that the French made no attempt to subdue them until 1928 when they established a garrison in Oaurzazate.   The town now plays host to a large support structure for movie making, mostly centered in the Atlas Film Studios.   If you’ve seen a movie that involves a remote desert environment, the odds are good that it was filmed in Oaurzazate.    Given the choice of siting the movie Argo in Ourzazate or post-revolutionary Iran, I would have voted for Ourzazate. 

           
At this point we had something of an unpleasant surprise.   The tour guides in these parts steer tourists to local vendors in exchange for a kickback.   Hassan II had a connection with a place called the Labyrinth of Souks.   This was just across the river that flows through Oaurzazate in a broken-down neighborhood.  We entered the place apprehensively.   Three men dressed in traditional Berber gear greeted us.     The hour was growing late, and I feared that dark would inevitably befall us before we got much farther down the road.  

            The main rug-hawker was an articulate man who seemed fluent in many languages.   Angelika, who is German, marveled at his mastery of her native language.   This linguistic facility seems to be common in these parts, although I have to say that both the Hassans lacked this characteristic.   The gentleman started by offering us tea.   I felt like I was in Jamaica, facing a similar marketing scheme.   “You, here are my friends.   When you are with Berbers, we always are open to friends, as you are our guests.   Our guests are our friends.   You do not have to buy anything, trust me, and you are still our friends.”  

At this point, he began to grab rugs from stacks bordering the walls and unrolled them with great ceremony, pointing out the fine points of the hand-worked weave.   Dhiman and I were solo, without wives.   As a result we were safe from the hard-sell.   The couples of Jene and Al, and Angelika and Marco were more likely targets.   Jene and Al dropped out of the game, leaving only Angelika and Marco.   

            

Just before we made our escape, another gent intercepted us and steered us to a back room, and then a second one lined with glass cases filled with endless jewelry and knick-knacks.   The only item that attracted my attention was something that was supposed to be an astrolabe.   When I got to inspect it, I realized that it was a piece of junk – whoever made it had no idea what an astrolabe was, but probably used some vague idea in his head about what it should look like.   Jene asked if any of the famous movie actors bought anything from his shop.   He replied that, yes, many famous Americans bought many items from the Labyrinth of Souks.   Jene challenged him to name one, and he said, “Oh, Lady Gag [sic] bought hundreds of pieces.” 

            Finally, the haggling broke and we departed. 

Marco and Angelika inspect carpets in the Labyrinth of Souks in Ourzazate.

We had a full menu of places to visit, with two more kasbahs coming up.  We drove a short distance to the Kasbah Taourirt, near the eastern edge of Oaurzazate.   No sooner had we parked, then a busker with a funky outfit and banjo-like instrument began to play for us.   I paid him 10 dirham just to satisfy my duty as a tourist.   A momentary confusion overcame me – was I in Jamaica? 

Kasbah Taourirt in Ourzazate.

Busker outside Kasbah Taourit. 

The sun was already getting low, and it was difficult to get a good shot.   We spent maybe five minutes in the parking lot, taking some pictures, and then hustled back into the 4x4’s and got onto the road.  A few kilometers further and we reached the town of Skoura, and pulled off the side of the road to see the Kasbah Ben Morro, which dates from the 17^th Century.   Despite the fading light, I managed to snag a few decent photos of it. 

Kasbah Ben Morro in Skoura. 

For some reason, I was under the impression that we were going to stop for the night in Ourzazate, but Hassan I informed me that we were going to the town of Boumalne-Dades.  The road followed the Dades River, which rises out of the Atlas Range and drains into a lake bordering Oaurzazate.   This was such a heavily traveled area that it was called “le route de mille kasbahs”, according to Hassan I.   Certainly we seemed to be passing an almost limitless number of kasbahs in varying states.    By the time the sun had set and it was getting dark.   Hassan stopped at a point, and asked if I wanted to take photos.   I asked him, “photos of what?   It’s dark out.”   So, we continued.  

      

      I had some relief when we reached Boumaine Dades, thinking that we were at the end of the day’s journey, but I was wrong.  The 4x4’s turned through a roundabout away from Boumaine-Dades and up into the Gorges du Dades – the Gorge of the Dades River.   We spent an interminable time winding up switchbacks in the dark with no clue how long it was going to take to reach our destination. 

            At long last, we arrived at our hotel for the night.  It was fairly full of foreign tourists, many of whom were from America.  After some time, we gathered in the dining room and had the usual fare of either tajines or kabaab over a bottle of wine.   

      

الحكمة تكمن وراء النجوم