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| Tata Market |
A pretty little town drawn up in pink stone, Tata
is the centre of a network of three river beds that feed the surrounding
palm groves and gardens through a system of irrigation channels.
The land is worked by communities from the nearby ksour villages,
made up of local Berbers and descendents of slaves brought here
by the famous Saharan caravan traders.
Today, they live and trade together in the lively
souk of Tata, once one of the main slave markets of the entire region.
Although it gradually declined and was forcibly opposed by the colonial
powers, this slave trade continued well into the 20th century. The
last slave caravan was spotted in the Sahara in 1956, and in neighbouring
Mauritania slavery was only officially abolished in 1981. Today,
it is no more than a distant memory, but in places like Tata it
stills adds to the exotic atmosphere.
The 7111 is an excellent road that runs between
Tata and Taroudannt, crossing a landscape of great geological interest,
where incredible rock formations and exposed strata succeed one
another in rapid succession in an environment almost devoid of human
settlement.
After the ruggedness of the almost lunar landscape
that one crosses to reach it, the olive, almond and walnut trees
of the Issafèn Valley are all the more welcoming. Here, in
these mountainous surroundings, stone houses replace the sand and
lime dwellings of the valleys, and the women wear the characteristic
blue and purple smocks of the mountain Berber tribes. The men used
to be infamous raiders, but now they work the land and trade in
the lively souk.
This white-washed village in a mountainous plateau
is situated at an altitude of 1700 metres. Embattled fruit orchards
point to the hardiness of the people in this windswept terrain,
but Igherm is an important market town in this highland area.
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