Errachidia Province
The 30,000 km ² province of Errachidia (Arabic إقليم الرشيدية, DMG Iqlīm ar - Rašīdīya ) has about 450,000 inhabitants and is part of the Moroccan region of Meknès- Tafilalet. The provincial capital is the city of Errachidia.
- 3.1 palm oases
- 3.2 Trade and Transportation
- 3.3 Tourism
Geography
Location
The Errachida province borders in the south and southeast by Algeria, the southwest by the Moroccan province of Zagora, in the northwest of the province Tinghir, on the north by the province Midelt and on the northeast by the province Figuig.
Landscape
The only sparsely populated province of Errachidia is relatively flat and desert -like; only the valley of the Oued Ziz forms a significant landscape incision. Large parts of the province are located at altitudes of 800 to 1000 m; some mountains in the northwest even reach heights of over 2000 m. The sand dunes of the Erg Chebbi reach heights of over 100 m.
Climate
As in all desert regions of Morocco, there are significant differences between day and night temperatures: While 40 ° C and more are reached during the day in summer, it cools down - depending on the sky - night at 5 to 15 ° C.. In winter, the day temperatures are still rising from 20 to 30 ° C. In the mountain regions, values of just below 0 ° C can be reached in winter at night, the summer daily maximum temperatures are also around 20 ° C.
History, population and language
The province was shortly after the independence of Morocco in 1956 under the old name of their capital Ksar es Souk created and how this in 1976 renamed ' Errachidia '. By separating the newly created provinces Tinghir and Midelt the province of Errachidia in 2009 lost a considerable part of its area and its population. In 2004 - before the separation of sparsely populated areas of the province Tinghir - had about 556,000 inhabitants, the province of Errachidia. While most place names are of Berber origin, originally based here dynasty still ruling Alawite traces its ancestry back to Arab-Americans. Both languages - Tamazight and Arabic - spoken largely in line today.
Economy
Palm oases
Characteristic of the region is the palm oases in the valley of the Oued Ziz and in the area of Tafilalet. While the Ziz valley is still farmed intensively, this is in Tafilalet rarely the case, because due to the increasing aridity due to the lack rains spoil the floors and lots of palm trees die.
Trade and transport
In earlier centuries, the almost completely submerged in the desert sands of the Tafilalet caravan city was Sijilmassa ( in Rissani ) one of the most important cities throughout Morocco. Until the 18th century, black african gold and not infrequently slaves were negotiated in the north or exchanged for the equivalent value of food ( dates, nuts, almonds, etc.) or other trade goods ( rugs, blankets, fabrics but also weapons, etc.). For the transport quantities of camels were available, of which only a few are left.
Tourism
Since the 1970s, tourism plays an ever increasing role in the economy of the province. Of cultural interest are the various Ksour around Rissani. The town of Erfoud (hotels ), and the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga should also be mentioned - but both places are threatened by mass tourism, mainly in the hotels and the sand dunes of Merzouga corresponding effects (eg quads, Bauernfängerei ) moves to be. By 2007, moreover, the motorized caravan of the Dakar Rally moved by the Tafilalet and gave locals and tourists a bad example by dealing with nature. The valley of the Oued Ziz, however, is so far hardly accessible to tourists. Here are some clay castles ( Tighremts ) of the Berbers, most of which, however, were abandoned years ago and are nearing its final decay.