Dades gorges and Dades valley

Gardens along the Dades

Thanks to the Dades river, the valley and gorges are always green.

Dades valley is an area with cultures, orchards, wheat, corn ... You can walk along the plots and gardens. Fig and olive trees mix with silver popplars, one of the emblematic trees of the valley.

The wealth of the region can be seen in the number of kasbahs, and here is the road of the thousand kasbahs.

Defensive architecture, which was justified in the times of constant war between the tribes, a kasbah is a large squared building, with thick strong walls, very often with four towers at the angles. Inside were the quarters of one or more families, the servants, a granaries, and room enough for the cattle when necessary.

Kasbah under the
monkey fingers

Boumalne du Dades is an important center in the region.

The town is built high, over the Dades banks. Its souk (market) is large, very busy. The valley goes on on the left and narrows, the highest you go, the narrowest, near the gorges.

To the variety of landscapes answers the diversity of fauna. Birds, small birds of prey, small game, and mufflons, unfortunatly too scarce.

Geological formation are exceptionnal

Rocks heaps like in Imassine are really impressive. More even, the place called "Monkey fingers", which goes on for hundreds of meters. Further away, caves open in the mountain, and some of them are used as shelters for the harvest or the herds.

They also have great stalagmites and stalactites.

Nomads still live their traditionnal life in the region.

The most important tribe is called Ait Sedrat, but these nomads settled some time ago. It is in the part still unreachable by a normal car that the last nomads, of the Ait Hadidous tribe, live. Their main ressources are their herds (lambs, goats and camels), and the profit made from selling the wool.