Sahara: A Natural History, by Marq de
Villiers and Sheila Hirtle, is a highly
readable account of the Sahara’s
wildlife, its people and geographical
history.(fortified strongholds) rising majestically from hidden palm oases. But most of the desert is
neither oasis nor dune, and it’s virtually uninhabitable. Vast tracts of barren, sun-bleached
hammada (stony desert) are interrupted by rocky gorges, baked over millions of years by the
desert’s ovenlike heat until the blackened surface turns glassy. The desert forms still-disputed
borders east and south to Algeria and Mauritania. South of the Anti Atlas, the barren slopes
trail off into the stony, almost trackless desert of Western Sahara.
Even today, the sight of an oasis on this desolate desert horizon brings a rush of elation and
wonder – but when ancient caravans emerged after a gruelling 52-day trans-Saharan journey
with final stretches of dunes at Erg Chigaga and Tinfou, the glimpse of green on the horizon at
Zagora was nothing short of life-saving. From Zagora, caravans heading to Middle Atlas laden
with gold proceeded warily through the Drâa Valley from one well-fortified ksar to the next,
finally unloading the camels and packing up mules at Skoura Oasis.
Some caravans passed through the ancient desert gates of
Sijilmassa (near Rissani), though there was no easy route: one
approach was via the rose-gold dunes of Erg Chebbi at
Merzouga, while the other led past formidable Jebel Sarhro,
inhabited by equally formidable seminomadic Aït Atta warriors.
Today the mood in oases is considerably more relaxed, with a
slow pace in the daytime heat and sociable evenings as visitors
and locals gather around a warming fire.BUYING SUSTAINABLE SOUVENIRS
Most Sustainable: Tyre Crafts
Used tyres don’t biodegrade, and burning them produces toxic fumes – but when cleverly repurposed by Moroccan artisans,
they make fabulous home furnishings. Tyre-tread mirrors make any entryway look dashingly well-travelled, and inner-tube tea
trays are ideal for entertaining motorcycle gangs. For the best selection, visit the tyre-craft mâalems (master artisans) lining
the south end of Rue Riad Zitoun el-Kedim in Marrakesh ( Click here ).
Quite Sustainable: Argan Oil
The finest cosmetic oil to ever pass through the business end of a goat – no, really. Outside Essaouira and in the Anti Atlas,
goats climb low argan trees to eat the nuts, digesting the soft, fuzzy outer layer and passing the pit. Traditionally, women then
collect the dung, extract and clean the pit, crack it to remove the nut, and press the nut to yield a tiny quantity of the orange-
tinted, vitamin-E-rich oil. This is arduous handwork, and buying from a collective is the best way to ensure that the women are
paid fairly and no additives are included in the end product (no pun intended). Check out Cooperative Amal ( Click here ) north
of Agadir, Cooperative Tiguemine ( Click here ) outside Essaouira, or Assouss Cooperative d’Argane ( Click here ) at its retail
outlet in Marrakesh.
Possibly Sustainable: Berber Carpets & Blankets
Berber blankets are often made with wool so all-natural that you can feel the lanolin on them. Despite claims to use only
vegetable dyes, most carpet weavers use a combination of natural and artificial dyes to achieve the desired brilliance and
lightfastness. Some cooperatives card and dye their own wool for natural colours (mostly browns, yellows, pinks and pale
greens), but for bright colours it’s better that they source their wool from reputable industrial dyers instead of handling chemical
dyes and pouring used dye down drains. For associations advancing best environmental practices, organised democratically,
and paying women weavers fairly and directly, visit Kasbah Myriem ( Click here ), Cooperative Feminin de Tissage Aït Bououli (
Click here ), Jemaite Tifawin ( Click here ), Cooperative Ahilal des Tapis ( Click here ), and Aït Oudinar women’s weaving
cooperative ( Click here ).
Not So Sustainable: Thuyya Wood
The root of a juniper that grows only in Morocco, this caramel-coloured knotty burl is at risk of being admired to extinction. Buy
carved thuyya bowls and jewellery boxes only from artisans’ collectives more likely to practise responsible collection and
reforesting, such as the Cooperative Artisanal des Marqueteurs ( Click here ) and the Cooperative Artisanale Femmes de