Skoura

Skoura (Arabic: سكورة ) is a mainly inhabited by Berbers town of about 15,000 inhabitants in the province of Ouarzazate ( Souss -Massa- Draâ ) in southern Morocco.

Location

The about 40 km northeast of Ouarzazate at a height of about 1150 m above sea level. inst preferred place consists of an older part in the southwest ( vieux Skoura ) and an approximately 3 km from the newer part of the North East. Worth seeing is actually only the older district with its palm oases ( palmeraies ) and - partially converted to nice hotels - Kasbahs. In the spring and after the extremely rare summer rains, the otherwise parched bed of the Oued El Hajaj filled with water, which is used to irrigate the palm oases and the fields.

History

Not much is known about the early history of Skoura. However, one can assume that the relative abundance of water the palm oases - comparable to the Draâ Valley - have promoted early on settling down later hunter-gatherer cultures or by nomadic tribes. Ibn Khaldoun reported in the late 14th century by a - immigrants from the Near East - the root of the Haskoura who might have become eponymous for the area. Ins historical consciousness of modern times the place occurs only towards the end of the 19th century, when various communities and territorial rivalries of the Berber tribes led to some civil war- like conditions, which could be resolved only at the time of the French Protectorate and after the independence of Morocco (1956 ).

Oases

Formerly an area of ​​about 25 km ² engaging Palm Gardens ( palmeraies ) Skoura are about 15-20 km south of the snow-covered in spring peaks of the High Atlas, the - make the land fertile and centuries ago for a thriving - with the help of irrigation canals have oases taken care of, in the center of which stands tall-growing palm tree. In one level below you will find pomegranate and fig trees, rare are olive and almond trees. All trees have an important significance for shade. In the fields of cereals (barley, wheat ) and vegetables ( beans, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, etc.) are mainly grown that the - offer residents adequate food - largely still living according to the principles of self-sufficiency. By the way also - as is common in oases - held to a lesser extent sheep, goats and chickens.

A lack of rain and snowfall in the 1980s and 1990s had an increasing dryness result, in which even the palm trees perished en masse. The result was a depopulation of large parts of the population. Meanwhile, the situation has relaxed somewhat and you can - especially in early spring ( February, March ) - walk around on narrow, slightly elevated paths in the fields and enjoy the lush greenery of the small fields.

Kasbahs

Of the former certainly abundant residential castles ( Tighremts ) of the indigenous Berber only ruins have been preserved. However, the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century began - promoted by the vested interests of the various Berber clans ( Glaoua, Nassiri and others) - a building boom in. Large building complexes of clay with a strategically - territorial, partly military function ( Kasbahs ) were set up which, however, were in the late 20th century also uninhabitable, but then bought up in many cases by wealthy individuals, restored and partially rebuilt on hotels.

Kasbah Amerhidil

The main attraction of the oasis landscape is the many-towered Kasbah Amerhidil (also Imridil ), which originated in the 18th century, but has been thoroughly overhauled in the late 19th and early 20th century. Parts of the building built around courtyards around the building complex has been converted into a hotel, in other parts of a quite remarkable museum was established. The towers of the Kasbah with its typical geometric ornament decor, which originally was probably a apotropaic ( apotropaic ) Meaning, were mapped to the old 50 - dirham note.

The interior of the - occurring from complete and locally available materials (clay, palm trunks, reeds and palm mats) built - Kasbah was inhabited until the 1960s, and then some articles of domestic use of ceramic and wattle have received the impression of a give life to the residents - from - for that time quite feudal.

Environment

Walking is another Kasbahs around Skoura can be explored (see web link).