Aoukerda Oasis and the Ighber Ifrane Granaries

What makes it special

• The palm oasis of Aoukerda Smougen, where the mountains meet the desert
• Three local landmarks: the Titanic, the cave of Ifri n Tfqirt and the Window of Life
• A fortified collective granary more than 300 years old, in the Anti-Atlas
• A traditional house
• Oasis farming — palms, almonds and the water everything depends on
• A Morocco that looks nothing like the tourist cities

The story

In Amazigh an agadir is a fortified collective granary — igoudar, in the plural — and they are sometimes called the oldest banking system in the world. Built from stone and earth, they kept the grain, valuables and important papers of a whole community behind one set of walls. The one at Ighber Ifrane, known as Agadir Inoumar, is more than 300 years old; local sources date it to the Alaouite era and the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail. It has four towers, three water cisterns and two gates, and it was run by an amin, the person responsible for managing it and guarding what was inside.

What you can do here

• Hiking in the mountains around the oasis, on a route chosen for the weather
• The short walk to the granary, about a kilometre
• Photography — mountains, palms and the oasis
• Seeing how the oasis is farmed, and why the palms and the water matter
• Meeting people in the village, with respect for their privacy
• Tea or a local meal with people from the village

Everything here is included in the day if you want it, and nothing is compulsory. Tell us in advance what you are hoping for and we will plan around it.

When to come

Spring and autumn are the times to go: the best weather for walking and exploring, though we still keep an eye on the forecast. We do not recommend this trip in summer, when the heat down here is severe, and in the rainy season we take extra care in a landscape full of valleys and ravines.