6 Days : Marrakesh – Ait Ben Haddou – Merzouga – Meknes – Marrakesh

Skoura (Skoura is a fertile oasis lined with immense palm groves. The Kasbah Amerhidil is part of Skoura palm grove alongside more),

we arrive to roses valley , stop  photos  in mgoun river (kasbahs,gardens,bérbér daily…..), River flows through the valley quenching a miraculous, winding path of fruit, walnut, wheat, silver birch and almond trees.

The Dades Valley has a wild landscape, with snow on one side and semi-desert on the other, its savage grandeur and unearthly silence can be equalled only by the Grand Canyon. The Berbers erected hundreds and hundreds of Kasbahs in this valley.

we continue  to tinghir , The last 600 metres of the Todgha gorge are the most spectacular. Here the canyon narrows to a flat stony track, in places as little as 10 metres  wide, with sheer and smooth rock walls up to 160 metres  high on each side.

visit gorges of todra(canyons), through  tinjdad , arfoud famous for its fossilized marbles we arrive to merzouga and the desert where you can watch the sunset over the dunes. Dinner and overnight at the berber tent in bivouac.

Departure to rissani ancient capital of Tafilalet(big oases in africa), A former major caravan center, Rissani remains a major commercial center in the region, with a large souk, particularly lively on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It is noted for its leather and goat skin trading.

The mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, third great-grandfather of Moulay Cherif, founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco, is located on the southern edge of town.

Along the  Ziz river include Er Rachidia, Erfoud and Sijilmassa ; there is typically a common water rights rule, wherein each village and villager is entitled to a fair use and extraction of Ziz waters. Characteristically water is diverted in flatter areas to form a canal that irrigates palm groves and other crops as well as supplies domestic use.

Through the middele atlas montains  and many berber villages and cities , we note the Atlas cedar , Barbary macaque  and important for biodiversity ; continue to fes .

It is the second largest city in Morocco after Casablanca, Fez was founded under Idrisid rule during the 8th-9th centuries CE. It initially consisted of two autonomous and competing settlements. Successive waves of mainly Arab immigrants from Tunisia , egypt and al-Andalus (Spain/Portugal) in the early 9th century gave the nascent city its Arab character. other empires came and went, 11th century when the Almoravid Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin united the two settlements into what is today’s Fes el-Bali quarter, the Marinid era (13th-15th centuries), regaining its status as political capital. Numerous new madrasas and mosques were constructed, In 1276 the Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub also founded the royal administrative district of Fes el-Jdid, where the royal palace is still located today, to which extensive gardens were later added. During this period the Jewish population of the city grew and the Mellah (Jewish quarter) was formed on the south side of this new district,

– Madrasas :

The city has traditionally retained the influential position as a religious capital in the region, exemplified by the Madrasa (or University) :

— Qarawiyyin which was established in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri originally as a mosque

— The Saffarin Madrasa in Fes el Bali by Sultan Abu Yusuf in 1271. Sultan Abu al-Hassan was the most prolific patron of madrasa construction.

— Cherratine Madrasa commissioned by the Alaouite sultan Al-Rashid in 1670, which is the only major non-Marinid foundation besides the Madrasa of al-Qarawiyyin.

– City walls and gates :

The entire medina of Fez was heavily fortified with crenelated walls with w atchtowers and gates ,The gates of Fez, scattered along the circuit of walls, were guarded by the military detachments and shut at night. Some of the main gates have existed, in different forms, since the earliest years of the city. The oldest gates today, and historically the most important ones of the city, are Bab Mahrouk (in the west), Bab Guissa (in the northeast), and Bab Ftouh (in the southeast).

– Forts and kasbahs

– Along with the city walls and gates, several forts were constructed along the defensive perimeters of the medina during the different time periods. The military watchtowers built in its early days during the Idrisid era were relatively small. 13 kasbahs were constructed surrounding the old city. Among the most prominent among them is the Kasbah An-Nouar, located at the western or north-western tip of Fes el-Bali, and the Kasbah Cherarda, built by the Alaouite sultan Moulay al-Rashid just north of Fes Jdid, Other kasbahs include the Kasbah Tamdert, built by the Saadis near Bab Ftouh,

– Tanneries :

– Since the inception of the city, tanning industry has been continually operating in the same fashion as it did in the early centuries. Today, the tanning industry in the city is considered one of the main tourist attractions.

– Gardens :

The Jnane Sbile Garden was created as a royal park and garden in the 19th century by Sultan Moulay Hassan between Fes el-Jdid and Fes el-Bali.

Other gardens also exist within the grounds of the historic royal palaces of the city, such as the Agdal and Lalla Mina Gardens in the Dar al-Makhzen or the gardens of the Dar al-Beida (originally attached to Dar Batha)

– Funduqs/foundouks :

The old city of Fez includes more than a hundred funduqs or foundouks (traditional inns, or urban caravanserais)

— The Funduq al-Najjariyyin, which was built in the 18th century by Amin Adiyil to provide accommodation and storage for merchants and which now houses the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts.

— The Funduq Shamma’in (also spelled Foundouk Chemmaïne) and the Funduq Staouniyyin (or Funduq of the Tetouanis), both dating from the Marinid era or earlier, and the Funduq Sagha which is contemporary with the Funduq al-Najjariyyin.

– Historic palaces and residences

Many old private residences have also survived to this day, in various states of conservation. private houses include the Dar al-Alami, Dar Saada (now a restaurant), Dar ‘Adiyil, Dar Belghazi, Dar Batha is a former palace completed by the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz (ruled 1894-1908) and turned into a museum in 1915.

Volubilis, a major Roman-era settlement in Morocco and one of its early urban centres, is located near the site of the current city of Meknes.

the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco under the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismaïl .

Moulay Ismaïl created a massive imperial palace complex and endowed the city with extensive fortifications and monumental gates.

Places to visit :

Place el-Hedim , Mosques and madrasas , Madrasa Bou Inania, Bab Mansur al-‘Alj.

Through the middele atlas montains  and many berber villages and cities , we note the Atlas cedar , Barbary macaque  and important for biodiversity we arrive to Marrakesh .