Antiatlas

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Tioulit; a largely abandoned village in the western Anti-Atlas with previously used circular threshing floors

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The Anti-Atlas (Arabic الأطلس الصغير, DMG al -atlas aṣ - Sagir ( "Little Atlas " ) ) is the southernmost of the three - mostly located in Morocco - mountain ranges of the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa.

Geography

The Anti-Atlas extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest northeast direction to the level of Ouarzazate and further east as far as the Tafilalet ( around 500 km). In the south it is bounded by the northern reaches of the Sahara. Volcanic origin and are thus geologically own the massifs of Jbel Sirwa and the Jebel Sarhro are together with their foothills, which have at times approach the High Atlas and separated only by narrow valleys such as the Dades Valley and the valley of Todra from him. At the height of Ouarzazate the massif from the Wadi Draa is cut in a southerly direction.

Geology

Geologically begins with the Anti Atlas, the African plate. This originated in the Precambrian and is thus geologically older than the European continental plate. Accordingly, the legislative history of the Anti-Atlas is not connected to the nearby mountain chain of the High Atlas. On the African Precambrian basement rocks form (older than 570 million years) and Cambrian rocks of the Anti-Atlas, which originated in the Late Paleozoic ( about 300 million years ago). In this earth phase encountered two Urkontinente, Laurussia and Gondwana, against each other. In this temporal and geological context, the mountains of the Anti Atlas was created. After the emergence of the High Atlas mainly in the Eocene ( began around 55 million years ago) it came to volcanic eruptions in the zones of weakness between two mountain ranges. Thermal springs and earthquakes attest to the fact that the area of the Atlas Mountains has not yet come to rest.

Profile and climate

The peaks of the Anti-Atlas reach heights 2500-2700 m, compared to a plateau level of about 1700 to 1800 m. The Jbel Sirwa ( Jebel Siroua ) southeast of the Toubkal massif has a volcanic origin and reaches a maximum height of 3304 m. The mountain is particularly highly fissured the south to the 700 -meter-high level of the Sahara. Here the rainfall is below 200 mm annually, while the climatic conditions are more favorable to the north and west facing slopes. Climatically, the mountain of the saharaischen desert zone must already be allocated.

Flora

While in the west and north on large areas thyme, rosemary and other drought and UV Straheln gefeite plants such Arganienbäume, almond trees, cactus and Opuntia steppe like the Anti-Atlas coat ( threatened by overgrazing ) are in the south and east - apart from a few palm oases ( Amtoudi, Tagmoute, Tata ) - most still thorn bushes to be found. The transition into the desert is fluid.

Settlement and economic

Traditionally, the Anti-Atlas is inhabited by the Berbers Chleuh. Its center is the city of Tafraoute, which is a popular tourist destination together with the nearby Valley of the Ammeln. The mother tongue of the population of the western Anti-Atlas is the Tachelhit, a Berber language is taught in Moroccan public schools since 2003. In the eastern Anti-Atlas Tamazight is spoken against it. Due to the difficult conditions for agricultural production ( stony soils, low rainfall, high daily temperatures, high UV radiation) and the low income opportunities, the rural-urban migration is a significant problem in the Anti-Atlas represents the able-bodied men earn their living in the big cities in northern Morocco (Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and others) or in Europe and feed in this manner, the remaining families in the mountain villages. The illiteracy rate is estimated here at 75 percent. Tourism started to develop during the last decades a significant economic factor.

Be used Inhabited and agricultural usually most areas along rivers and streams, but most of the year, no water lead ( wadis ). On plateaus is partially cultivated barley with very low income or operated a small extent livestock (goats, sheep).

Landscape

The largely arid Anti-Atlas is very different from the other two chains Atlas of Morocco, the Middle and High Atlas. During the descending to the Atlantic western end of the Anti-Atlas can be described as comparatively quite fertile due to higher winter rainfall, the mountains to the east is always arid and barren so - the transition to stone desert is fluid. Here agriculture was possible in earlier times only with great difficulty and with very low income and the inhabitants lived mostly semi-nomadic ( transhumant ); in some places are still the long-abandoned terraced fields and threshing recognizable. The completed after the turn of the millennium streets of Tafraoute or Taroudant after Igherm and on to Tata lead through quiet but extremely impressive landscapes that are rarely interrupted by oasis valleys.

Culture

The most significant cultural attractions in the Anti-Atlas are undoubtedly the most from small to medium sized stones erected Agadire the different Berber tribes. In addition, the built largely from rammed earth, but already heavily damaged or in rapid decline conceived traditional residential castles ( Tighremt ) around Tafraoute ( Tazka, Aday, Oumesnat ) of tourist interest. A few have been redesigned in recent years by their owners to small ' museums '. The spectacular position on a hilltop Ksar Tizourgane also worth a visit. One of the two castles of memory Igherm to get an annex building and extended into a museum on the history and culture of the Berbers.

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