Tafilalt ( Arabic: تفيلالة ) is a geographical region in the western part of Moroccan Sahara , which includes several oases . Belongs to the province of Ksar es Souk , the center is located in Erfoud . A plain with hills 500–1000 m high is located in the basin of the Geris and Ziz rivers flowing from the High Atlas . To the east is the desert plain of Hamad Gir , and to the west is the Sago Ridge . There is a road to the oasis through the Middle Atlas from the city of Fes .
| Tafilalt | |
|---|---|
| Arab. تفيلالة | |
 Oasis Erfood . | |
| A country | Morocco |
| National composition | Berbers |
| Desert | Sahara |
The population is about 60 thousand inhabitants, mainly Berbers . Tafilalt is known for its date palms and for being the birthplace of the ruling Alawite dynasty.
According to climatic conditions, it is a subtropical semi-desert with rich layers of groundwater, due to which dates, grains, fruits and vegetables are grown in oases. Nomadic Arabs breed camels and small cattle.
The city of Sigilmas , founded in Tafilalta in 757, was one of the points on the caravan route from the Niger River to Tangier , thereby achieving a significant level of prosperity. It was later destroyed, but its ruins are still visible along the riverbank. The medieval traveler Ibn Battuta visited Sigilmasa in the 14th century during his journey from Fez to the “ land of blacks ”. The first Europeans to visit Tafilalt in the modern period were Rene Calle in 1828 and Gerhard Rolfs in 1864.
Links
- Tafilalet // Tatars - Topopik. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1956. - P. 11. - ( Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 51 vols.] / Ch. Ed. B. A. Vvedensky ; 1949-1958, vol. 42).
- Tafilalt // Dictionary of modern place names
- Website of the Tafilalt region (French) (unavailable link from 18-12-2017 [595 days])