In 2009, Dh230 million were set aside
to restore ksour and kasbahs, with top
priorities in Er-Rachidia, Erfoud and
Rissani.The only fully active mosque non-
Muslims are allowed to visit inMoroccan artistry (no one dared displease the Glaoui despots) but also the betrayal of the Alawites by the Pasha Glaoui, who
collaborated with French colonists to suppress his fellow Moroccans. But locals argue Glaoui kasbahs should be preserved,
as visible reminders that even the grandest fortifications were no match for independent-minded Moroccans.Unesco World Heritage designations saved Taourirt kasbah in Ouarzazate and the rose-
coloured mudbrick Aït Benhaddou, both restored and frequently used as film backdrops. To see
living, still-inhabited kasbahs, head to Anmiter and Kasbah Amridil in Skoura Oasis.
Ksour
The location of ksour (mudbrick castles, plural of ksar ) are spectacularly formidable: atop a
rocky crag, against a rocky cliff, or rising above a palm oasis. Towers made of metres-thick,
straw-reinforced mudbrick are elegantly tapered at the top to distribute the weight, and capped
by zigzag merlon (crenellation). Like a desert mirage, a ksar will play tricks with your sense of
scale and distance with its odd combination of grandeur and earthy intimacy. From these
watchtowers, Timbuktu seems much closer than 52 days away by camel – and in fact, the
elegant mudbrick architecture of Mali and Senegal is a near relative of Morocco’s ksour .
To get the full effect of this architecture in splendid oasis
settings, visit the ksour -packed Drâa and Dadès valleys,
especially the fascinating ancient Jewish ksar at Tamnougalt
and the 3 tonne pink/gold/white ksar of Aït Arbi, teetering on
the edge of the Dadès Gorge. Between the Drâa Valley and
Dadès Valley, you can stay overnight in an ancient ksar in the
castle-filled oases of Skoura and N’Kob, or pause for lunch at
Ksar el-Khorbat and snoop around 1000-year-old Ksar Asir in Tinejdad.
Caravan stops are packed with well-fortified ksour, where merchants brought fortunes in
gold, sugar and spices for safekeeping after 52-day trans-Saharan journeys. In Rissani, a half-
hour circuit will lead you past half a dozen splendid ancient ksour , some of which are slated for
restoration. Along caravan routes heading north through the High Atlas toward Fez, you’ll spot
spectacular ksour rising between snowcapped mountain peaks, including a fine hilltop tower
that once housed the entire 300-person community of Zaouiat Ahansal.
Medersas
More than schools of rote religious instruction, Moroccan medersas have been vibrant centres
of learning about law, philosophy and astronomy since the Merenid dynasty. For enough
splendour to lift the soul and distract all but the most devoted students, visit the zellij -bedecked
14th-century Medersa el-Attarine in Fez and its rival for top students, the intricately carved and
stuccoed Ali ben Youssef Medersa in Marrakesh. Now open as museums, these medersas give
some idea of the austere lives students led in sublime surroundings, with long hours of study,
several roommates, dinner on a hotplate, sleeping mats for comfort, and one bathroom for up
to 900 students. While other functioning medersas are closed to non-Muslims, Muslim visitors
can stay overnight in some Moroccan medersas, though arrangements should be made in
advance and a modest donation is customary.
Mosques
Even small villages may have more than one mosque, built on