Jbel Saghro

Adrar Saghro
Adrar Saɣru / جبل صغرو
View of the Jbel Saghro above N'Kob
Highest point
PeakAmalou n'Mansour
Elevation2,712 m (8,898 ft)
Coordinates31°9′0″N 5°39′0″W / 31.15000°N 5.65000°W / 31.15000; -5.65000[1]
Dimensions
Length320 km (200 mi) ENE/WSW
Width110 km (68 mi) NNW/SSE
Geography
Location of the Jbel Saghro in the Maghreb area
LocationMorocco
Parent rangeAnti-Atlas

The Jbel Saghro or Djebel Sahrho (Berber languages: Adrar Saɣru, Arabic: جبل صغرو) is a mountain range in south- east Morocco.[2] It is located south of the High Atlas and east of the Anti-Atlas in the northwest of Africa, northeast of Taliouine and southwest of Ouarzazate.

Geography

The Jbel Saghro is an eastern prolongation of the Anti-Atlas, separated from it by the valley of the Draâ. To the north of the range runs the valley of the Dadès, separating it from the massive High Atlas Range.

Saɣru in the Tamazight language means drought, an apt name considering that the Jbel Saghro is the driest mountain area of the whole Atlas Mountain System. Since it is located in the inland side of the greater range this massif does not benefit from the Atlantic Ocean winds that bring humidity to the Anti-Atlas ranges further to the west as well as other ocean-facing ranges further north. Annual rainfall is only 100 mm in the southern slopes and 300 mm at the summits. However, the desolation of the harsh landscapes of the massive dry mountains with the many areas of bare rock and the austere, lunar beauty does not leave anyone unimpressed. Therefore these mountain area is popular with trekkers and adventure-tourists. [3]

The range's high point is the 2712m Amalou n'Mansour, located southeast of Iknioun;[4] other notable peaks are 2,592 m high Jbel Kouaouch,[5][6] Jbel Afougal (2,196 m) and Jbel Amlal (2,447 m). One of the most important mountain passes of the range is the 2,283 m high Tizi n'Tazazert. Jbel Saghro is a traditional home of the Aït Atta Berber tribe. It is sparsely inhabited, the only notable village in the massif being Iknioun, near Amalou n'Mansour. It is linked by asphalt roads to Boumalne Dades and Tinerhir on the N10 highway, and Nkob to the south. Prehistoric rock engravings can be found in parts of the range.[7]

Nomads

The Jbel Saghro area is home to nomad families who spend their winters in the region. They are semi-nomadic and migrate to Ait Bougemez (Paradise Valley) in the summer with their flocks of sheep and goats, using camels, mules and donkeys to transport their belongings. Their numbers are dwindling as they move to more permanent bases to find a less difficult life and ensure that their children are educated.[8]

Features

Landscape of the Bab n'Ali in the Jbel Saghro
A Couscous plate from Tazzarine.
Mountain trekking in the Jbel Saghro.

See also

References

  1. ^ Google Earth
  2. ^ Des Montagnes du Sarho aux dunes de Merzouga
  3. ^ Sud-Maroc; Massif aux paysages lunaires
  4. ^ Hervé Galley, Montagnes du Maroc: trekking et ski de randonnée, Éditions Olizane, 2004 (ISBN 2880863023)
  5. ^ Djebel Kouaouch 2592 m Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Galleries - Marokko
  7. ^ Alain Rodrigue, L'art rupestre au Maroc : les sites principaux. p. 19
  8. ^ Morrison, Alice (18 April 2019). My 1001 Nights. Simon and Schuster. pp. 171–198. ISBN 978-1-4711-7425-4.