M’hamid El Ghizlane

M’hamid El Ghizlane

M’hamid El Ghizlane (translated:Plane of the gazelles), mostly just called M’hamid, is a small oasis town in southern Morocco (province of Zagora / region of Drâa-Tafilalet) with about 7,500 inhabitants.

In the palm oases of M’hamid there are seven old – now almost uninhabited and decaying Kasbah. In about 45 to 60 km away rise the sometimes over 100 meters high sand dunes (erg) of Erg Chegaga.

In the past M’hamid residents lived by the principles of self-sufficiency in the oasis economy, but with reduced or even absent winter rains since the 1970s, yields have been decreasing and almost completely abandoned.

M’hamid always also was a center for nomads and passing caravans. Today, the small town is the starting point for tourist camel or jeep safaris into the desert.

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E2%80%99hamid_El_Ghizlane)