From desert to city

Looking at the expansive grounds of Erfoud, in the middle of the Ziz valley, it is hard to imagine that this was once covered by ocean water. However, an impressive array of fossils bear timestamps to a bygone era.

The fossil records of the times includes a lot of marine creatures including trilobites, corals, molluscs, even starfishes. Onto cities leading out of the Sahara, such as Rissani, where we stopped for lunch, and Midelts, known for its apple orchards. And Tafilet, a Saharan oasis near the Algerian border.


A highlight is Berber `pizza' (a flatbread baked in a firepit in the sand or a mud oven, and locally called Madfouna). In the sleep Saharan town of Rissani, it served a welcome change from the tagines and couscous that we were getting all too familiar with. Followed by a visit to the local Berber jewellery store, where we got a crash course in the various Berber tribes, and their sigils in silver (watch out Game of Thrones!)



Along the way, we reach the cedar forests of Azrou where we encounter Barbary apes.

At Ifrane, the 'Switzerland' of Morocco..

Click to go on to Fez.