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| Tafilalt Oasis |
This morning we journey to the historic 8th century caravan town of Rissani to visit the Tafilalt Oasis. The first capital of the Tafilalt and the last stop on the caravan routes south, Rissani has a special place in Moroccan lore. The ruling Alaouite dynasty (from whom Morocco's current ruler, Mohammed VI, is a descendant) launched its bid for power here before triumphing finally in Fes and Marrakech. Today, a quarter of Rissani's population still inhabits a large 17th-century ksar in the center of town.
Our guide takes us through the mossoleum for the founder and then through the town, including a stop at a family’s home and lastly a school. We take a little time for shopping including a rug shop.
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| The family's tent |
We have lunch at a local pizzeria which has a local specialty much like a calzone. Then in the afternoon we drive by 4WD vehicle to Merzouga to witness sunset over the dunes.
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| Bedouin Father |
On the way to the dunes we stop by a family that lives in the desert and have tea under their tent. The children are very curious of us, as I am sure we looked very strange to them. The family is Bedouin, a group of nomadic Arab people who have inhabited the desert regions in North Africa, the name Bedouin means "desert dweller." After our stop we are on our way through the desert.
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| Sama, our tour leader and one of the girls we met |
We have time to explore the dunes on foot or by camel. We opt for some rest and watch night begin over the desert dunes. This is a magical landscape, with huge drifting expanses of sand dunes reaching heights of more than 150 ft. Their color shifts from pink to gold to red to white depending on the time of day. We have dinner at the hotel and retire for the evening.
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| Camels in the Sahara desert |
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