El Jadida and detour to Kasbah Boulaouane

El Jadida is an old Portuguese city with wonderful fortress and city wall around, with old Portuguese houses and one incredible beautiful Cistern. I have read about that in many years and finally I got the possibility and time to go and spend 3 exciting days in this city which I liked much more than Essaouira actually.

It is not so big city as Essaouira, maybe there it is less to do and see, but anyway I almost felt in love with El Jadida LOL. It was so calm and peaceful, no hassle, people very kind also. When I came I didn't know how to find to the Riad I booked so I asked in one shop near the entrance. The guy explained how to find it and it was so nice from him that he cared about. The next day, when he saw me he asked if I found Riad. It was really nice from him. He never tried to get me into his shop, to sell something to me, only wanted know if I found good without problem.

From terrace it was one wonderful view in all direction of El Jadida and the sea. Then I took a promenade through the town. It is not so big town and I liked it to walk there and see all old houses which unfortunately were a lot destroyed. They would need a little renovation, but probably or not probably but certainly there was no money for that. But one and another house was renovated and it was fine. But even they not renovated houses were fine too.

There is wonderful Portuguese Cistern where I spent one hour at least I think. It was so marvelous, incredible what the light done. I could not have enough of that. It was so simple and there fore so beautiful. I saw Cistern in Istanbul and it was so shiny and decorated so I did not like it so much..

I got leave it in any case and continue my walk through town and so I took the way to fortress and the wall that went around the entire old Portuguese El Jadida.

Next my trip went to Kasbah Boulaouane which I read about in many years but never got possibility to visit it. Now I was near and had also time to visit it. It is not so far from El Jadida or from Settat but it needs the car of course to go there.

It is old Kasbah, but very nice and worth to visit. It was built by Moulay Ismail in 1710 so now it is not so much left, but the wall around is almost whole, ruin of Mosque and Zawyia is still there.

There is left also the prison where I would not wish to stay LOL. The entrance and "the rooms" there are not so inviting. Not any window, only the whole it was all. So if it was rainy, prisoners could take "a shower".

The knowledgeable guard who was very happy to show me the whole Kasbah, he told even about story a little.

  

From Kasbah it was beautiful view over river Oum Er-Rbia.

rest of mosaik

rest of decoration

The entrance was free but I gave to guard a little more than 30 DH and he was grateful for that, wanted to invite me to lunch. But I had a little hurry back to El Jadida so I thanked him only and leaving.

The trip to the Kasbah was a bit exciting because the bridge over the river was broken and I had to drive through the water. It felt a bit scary but then I decided to risk it. There were people around so in case I got stuck or so I would get help. But it went well, it was fun too and then I could continue without problems until the Kasbah.

However back to El Jadida I took one other way, didn't know if worker on the bridge are still there or if they gone home and I wanted not take risk that I get stuck. It was getting a bit late as well, in addition to drizzle so although it was a little further to El Jadida, I took the longer road anyway.

My last day I would go back to Casablanca to spend my last night there before going back home. I took coast way because I not like much to take a motorway which is boring and nothing to see. But, actually apart from Azzemour, the coast way was a little boring too, however I could not know it in advance of course.

But I not had gone to Medina even if it could be nice inside, was looking a little only from outside because I had to leave the car at car company and then go to the hotel and I wanted not be too late because I booked for the last night one nice room and wanted to enjoy it also. It showed that it was right choice and I enjoyed very much my last night in Morocco.

Erg Chebbi, my favorite desert

So many times I have been in Erg Chebbi and never can have enough and come next and next time again, in so many years now. First time it was year 2005 and since that every year I go there again and stay many days there. I got friends there so every time I stay with them and live for a while as locals there. It feels really good and it feels like to come home. It is so much to see there, to experience, to learn.

The whole area is fundamentally worth more than just one night for to sleeping in the sand dunes. To explore the whole area of Erg Chebbi around you need to have 4x4. Some piste is passable by ordinary car, but not everywhere. It takes more days to explore the area around the dunes. I not understand why tourists think there is only sand dunes and nothing other, they stay only one night over in sand dunes in the tent where they ride camel and next day they leave. It is very pity, but it is not my problem of course.

The area of Erg Chebbi starts actually in already in Erfoud can I say, but in Erfoud is not anything much interesting. It is a little bigger town, one small souk, one square and it is all worth to see there. In the edge of city in direction from Ziz Valley is also the Royal Palace, but there it is not possible to go and visit it of course.

It is paved road now from Erfoud via Rissani and Merzouga until Taouz, but before it was only a piste going the whole way and you can do it still if you wish and you can do it with a normal car as I did it once. Then you can explore also the remoteness in this area where you go through oasis and Hamada. The piste is really beautiful and interesting. On the way you find smaller sand dunes but they are not so nice because they are dusty while sand in Erg Chebbi is clean and beautiful.

At the entrance to Rissani on the left side ruins of the medieval city and in the center is Ksar Abouaam, in English "The father of the year" which is just Moulay Ali Cherif who taught religion every third year there. There is now a museum and Moulay Ali Cherif maousoleum.

In Rissani is one of the most genuine souk, interesting in that it is not tourist souk, but for the people living there. 3 times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) is the market with donkeys, sheep, goat, cow also I had seen there.

Sand dunes Erg Chebbi is approximately 25 km long and 10 km wide and the highest dune is up to 150m. Near the village Merzouga it is only 5-8 km wide. It's interesting formation, where the plateau with small black stones reminiscent Hamada rises suddenly and you see only hot sand. Since the dunes are clean without dust have they a wonderful color, which changes from orange to gold, red to yellow, but also grey to white when the weather is changing and it storms.

 

Behind sand dunes are living nomads, who lives mainly on sheep, goats and camels, but also on to weave the cloths of camel hair for Bedouin tents, and on tourism.

You can walk around the dunes (with 4x4 only), small oases, the mostly dry riverbed, where you can find fossils. On the road you will see wells and after a while you will come to M'Fis, mineral mines where it still works quite primitive. It is a very interesting place to visit and people who works there are happy to show how the work is done.

 

Afterwards, the trip goes to the old abandoned French village where you can get an idea of how it was during colonization.

Near the dunes is a really Saharan lake Dayet Sriji where comes various birds, incl. flamingo. If of course does not rain for some time, which happens more often then the water dries up and then it is just sand without water, flamingos searching water elsewhere.

But if it is water there so even camels go there and take a bath and drink.

the lake without water

It is worth also to mentioned music group Gnawa, you find them in Khamlia, one little village 7 km after Merzouga, on the way against Taouz.
 

There are two groups, Pigeon du Sable and Bambara, both are good. They are singing, dancing and playing about old times when their ancestors was captured in Sudan and sold as slaves to Morocco. But they are singing even about new times and their freedom.

In Taouz, the last town in the area is also ruins from old Kasbah Taouz, worth to take a look. It is quite big and easy to imagine how it looked in the past.
 

Few kilometers from Taouz you can see the beautiful mountains Kfiroun where you find the stones with engraved old paintings. These you can reach by ordinary car, but if you want to go longer, you need a 4x4.

From Taouz you can continue until Erg Chigaga, but in that case you need have 4x4. It is about 250km, maybe more so count with the whole day to go.