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Home >> Destinations >> The Pre-Sahara
 he Sahara in Morocco, it is said, begins in Marrakech. Not that sand dunes rise to greet the traveler soon after this city is left behind, but one gradually enters the pre-Sahara, the land of oases, gorges, rock formations, palm groves, and, more generally, a stunningly exotic landscape of kasbahs, ksour (plural for ksar), or fortified adobe villages. The southern part of Morocco is also the birthplace of several of Morocco’s dynasties, particularly the Saadians and the Alawites.
Southeast of Marrakech is the city of Ouerzazate, once a non-descript quiet town with perfect climate between Marrakech and Erfoud or Zagora, now a fast-rising film hub, with the probably the largest studio in the world and growing tourism industry. The road forks out in two directions from Ouerzazate, one through the Draa Valley toward Zagora and Tamgrout, the other through the Dadès Valley (known as “the land of a thousand kasbahs”) through Kala’at M’gouna (land of rose water and a rose festival held every May), Tinerhir (with the spectacular mountain formations of the Todra Gorge, which have been compared to the Grand Canyon in Colorado) toward Erfoud, Rissani and the archeological ruins of Sijilmassa. Both are spectacular journeys, and one could do both by driving from Erfoud to Zagora through a functional, secondary road.
Erfoud is fed by the rivers Ziz and Rheris and hosts a date festival in October. Rissani is the seat of the reigning Alawite dynasty which, according to legend, came to the region after the locals in the 13th century wanted Arabian shareefs to settle their land and through their baraka keep the drought that had afflicted their date culture at bay. Here one finds the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Shareef, the founder of the Alawite dynasty and a ksar built around 1800.
Not far from Rissani is the first Islamic city ever to be established in North Africa, Sijilmassa, founded around 757, and whose population swelled to about 100, 000 in the 11th century. All that is left of this once prosperous city is a crumbling wall.
Two hours from Erfoud toward the Algerian border are the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi, some rising as high as 820 feet. Witnessing a sunset or sunrise in this area, or checking out fossils is part of the experience.
Leaving Ouerzazate directly for Zagora, one drives by the huge dam of El Mansour Eddahbi (named after the great Saadian sultan who conquered Mali) and by the Draa River, once the longest in Morocco. Zagora, known as the “Gate of the Desert,” was the staging point of the Saadian conquest of the Sous in the 16th century. South of Zagora is Tamgrout, the site of a famous madrassa built by Sidi Mhamed ben Nassir, founder of the Nassiriya brotherhood in the 17th century. The madrassa’s library contains rare manuscripts, some 700 years old. Further south are sand dunes and the Hammada Draa.
The entire region south of Marrakech is endlessly fascinating, as one could spend weeks exploring villages, ksour, oases, and just simply enjoying the dramatic landscapes and sunsets.
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