MUSEUMNATURAL SCENERYNEIGHBOURHOODSights
Musée des Arts et Traditions de la Valleé du Drâa
( 0661 34 83 88; Kasbah de Tissergat; admission Dh20) From the parking lot, follow
‘Musée’ signs out of the desert sun, through cool, dark corridors of the ancient ksar (fortified
village), and into the triple-storey mudbrick home that houses this fascinating desert-culture
museum, 8km north of Zagora. Artifacts are tagged with insightful explanations of their origins
and purpose in French and English – very helpful for otherwise mysterious tattooing
implements, and markedly different wedding garments from five local tribes.
In the tea salon, you’ll find key equipment for desert entertaining c 1930: a vintage ham radio,
gramophone, and tea glasses believed to shatter on contact with poison. Still more intriguing is
the birthing room, with a single rope dangling rather ominously from the ceiling. A woman in
labour was expected to use the rope to hoist herself into sitting or squatting position as she
bore down, while the midwife massaged her stomach and whispered soothing blessings – not
an epidural, exactly, but certainly a comfort. The tour ends in the traditional kitchen on the
breezy roof, where it comes as something of a shock to glimpse satellite dishes on the horizon.
Jebel Zagora
This spectacular mountain rises over the Oued Drâa – worth climbing for the views, provided
you have stamina, water and sunblock and set off in the early morning. The round trip to Jebel
Zagora takes about three hours on foot, or 45 minutes by car along the piste to the right
beyond Camping de la Montagne. Halfway up are the faint ruins of an 11th-century Almoravid
fortress , but the military installation at the summit is off-limits.
Amezrou
Zagora’s desert-crossroads culture can be glimpsed in the adjacent village (about 1.5km south
of downtown Zagora, across the Oued Drâa), where artisans in the historic mellah work good-
luck charms from African, Berber, Jewish and Muslim traditions into their designs – when
crossing the desert for 52 days, you need all the luck you can get. In the 1930s, Amezrou had
some 400 Jewish households, but almost all had left town by the 1960s. In Amezrou, ask an
elderly resident to point you towards a tiny ancient synagogue , currently being restored by
the village. The family next door will let you into the prayer room (Dh20 tip customary), where
you’ll notice that the archways and Torah niche were blackened by the room’s use as a kitchen
after its abandonment. Yet the arch supports have held up well, and the palm-beam ceiling is
being restored with help from neighbours and Dar Raha.
Activities
Dromedary rides are not only possible in Zagora, but practically obligatory. Cost-compare at
local agencies, ask about water, bedding, toilets and how many other people will be sharing
your camp site. Prices start at about Dh300 per person per day.
Caravane Desert et Montagne Offline map ( 0524 84 68 98;
[http://www.caravanedesertetmontagne.com; 112 Blvd Mohammed V) Partners with local nomads to](http://www.caravanedesertetmontagne.com; 112 Blvd Mohammed V) Partners with local nomads to)
create adventures off the beaten camel track for individuals and small groups.