KASBAHLOCALTIMIDARTE
If you want to (all together now) rock the kasbahs, turn west off N9 to check out prime
specimens in Timidarte village. The finest example dates from the 17th century, recently
converted by Timidarte’s responsible tourism association into an authentic kasbah guesthouse,
Kasbah Timidarte.
Sleeping & Eating
Kasbah Timidarte $
( 0668 68 00 47; www.kasbahtimidarte.com; d with shared bathroom incl breakfast/half-
board Dh200/350, d with private bathroom incl breakfast/half-board Dh300/540) For a night,
you can live much as kasbah inhabitants have for centuries: in seven mudbrick rooms arranged
around a central light well, with palm-frond mats and mattresses on floors. Instead of TV,
there’s socialising under the stars on the roof terrace, next to a Berber bread oven. Some
improvements have been made since the 17th century – there’s electric light for reading, and a
couple of rooms have en-suite bathrooms – but it’s impressive how cool and calm thick pisé
walls keep these rooms, without air-conditioning or street noise. Association members have
taken to the task of cooking for guests with gusto, and home-style Berber meals are a point of
pride at Kasbah Timidarte. Passers- by can call ahead for a tajine (Dh75) and a peek at the
roof terrace. It’s 1km east of Route de Zagora, 15km south of Agdz.
Timarine Tijara
( 0664 93 22 42; Timidarte; by appointment) Timidarte is becoming a magnet for
foodies with this artisan producer of date jam and syrup – call ahead for tastings and bargain
Dh15 to Dh40 purchases.
Zagora
POP 35,000
The original, iconic ‘Tombouctou, 52 jours’ (Timbuktu, 52 days) sign featuring a nomad with a
smirking camel was recently taken down in an inexplicable government beautification scheme,
only to be replaced by a new, equally shoddily painted sign – but Zagora’s fame as a desert
outpost remains indelible. The Saadians launched their expedition to conquer Timbuktu from
Zagora in 1591, and desert caravans passing through Zagora gave this isolated spot
cosmopolitan character.
Zagora remains a trading post at heart, hosting a regional souq on Wednesdays and
Sundays selling fruit, vegetables, herbs, hardware, handicrafts, sheep, goats and donkeys. The
moussem of Sufi Moulay Abdelkader Jilali takes place at the same time as Moulid an-Nabi
(Click here ), and it brings the town to life. Members of the Sufi Jilala brotherhood make a
pilgrimage to Zagora to pay their respects, and you may hear their hypnotic music of praise
and celebration with the bendir (hand-held drum).
As you head into downtown Zagora, the palmeraie forms a dramatic green backdrop to drab
administration buildings dating from Zagora’s tenure as a French colonial outpost.