KASBAHHISTORIC SITEDARTo see this amazing oasis run by the village development association, call at least a couple of hours ahead, so there’s
someone to meet you by the main road and lead you to the garden. Try garden-ripe fava beans or tomatoes, exchange
gardening tips, have some tea at the village school and leave a sliding-scale donation to help buy next year’s seeds (tip: Dh200
plants an entire plot of fava beans or onions, and Dh800 plants delicious dry-farmed tomatoes). The association reports that
since travellers’ generous donations helped introduce more fresh vegetables into village children’s diets, schoolteachers have
observed marked improvement in students’ attention spans.
‘We never imagined people from so many countries would be interested in our garden,’ says the project’s director, Lahcen
Khallouki. ‘Our mission was to make sure village children had enough healthy food to thrive, and that remains our objective.
But visitors from the United States, Bangladesh, Germany and Great Britain have helped us realise that there are gardeners all
over the world who share the same idea: to turn unused land into organic gardens that can feed our communities. Now we’re
striving to be a model community garden, so that we can say to our children and anyone else thinking about starting a garden,
“Look, this is what a small piece of land and many hands can do.”’Sights
Caïd’s Kasbah
(adult/child Dh40/20) The 170-year-old kasbah that once belonged to the caïd (leader)of Agdz
is next door to Casbah Caïd Ali and owned by descendents of the caïd . Stop at Casbah Caïd
Ali’s reception for admission to the mudbrick structure, and explore a maze of rooms spread
over three stories. The play of light and shade in the ancient kasbah could obsess
photographers for hours, and occasional displays give glimpses of 19th-century kasbah life –
but best of all are rooftop views over the neighbouring oasis.
Glaoui Kasbah
Long-time residents of Agdz report their shock at discovering that the walled Glaoui kasbah in
Agdz (marked 307 on the gate, located on the south side of the piste near Rose du Sable
guesthouse) was used as a secret desert detention centre. Hassan II’s purges to suppress
political dissidents led to the establishment of such secret detention centres, details of which
emerged recently through Morocco’s Equity and Reconciliation Commission. The government is
said to be considering plans to turn the now-crumbling Glaoui kasbah into a memorial of
Morocco’s ‘Years of Lead’ under Hassan II, as a monumental end to this chapter of Morocco’s
history.
In the meantime, if you see the next-door neighbour who keeps an eye on the place, you can
ask him to let you in the door to look around (Dh20 tip customary). The upstairs rooms are
unstable, but if you pass through the sun-beaten courtyard and turn right, you’ll find dark,
windowless cells. In recent years, they have been used for community grain storage – but if a
museum could finally shine a light on these secret cells, similar chapters in many nations’
histories might also be illuminated.
Sleeping
Dar Qamar $$
( 0524 84 37 84; www.locsudmaroc.com; s Dh610, d Dh720-1100, tr Dh1055-1280;
) Red-stained pisé walls, Tamegroute-tiled walkways, and fish in the fountain to eat the
mosquitoes: eco-savvy chic has arrived at Agdz. Rooms with original ceilings and porthole