Amelyn Valley

20 October 2022

Getting from Agadir to Tafraoute was a 6 hour bus journey with CTM.

Though long, these journeys enable you to see the landscape change and to appreciate the skill of the drivers. I am in awe of the driver who carefully manoeuvred our coach sized bus, up and over the pass from Tiznit to Tafraoute along winding, hair bin bends on a road cut into the mountain side. Arriving into Tafraoute in the dark was mysterious and felt like arriving in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully the manager of the bus terminal offered to phone a local taxi who took me to the Chez Amaliya Kasbah hotel which I had pre-booked. Luckily too, they had a restaurant that was still serving vegetable targines... a wonderful end to a long travelling experience.

Despite being mountainous, this area in the Anti-Atlas region is hot and dry.

Today I set off to walk through the Ameln valley to familiarise myself with the terrain and visit some of the villages. My overwhelming impression is of dry barren land and quiet deserted home steads. Nevertheless, at the beginning and end of the school day the valley is teaming with young people going and returning from the valley schools, so there are many families living here. The temperatures must keep people indoors or in the shade.

I wandered through the numerous settlements nestled into the mountainside where most houses are now empty and in various stages of decay. In Oumesnat, I visited La Maison Traditionelle, one of the traditional three stories Berber houses that has been lovingly maintained as a museum. It's curator showed me around. He explained a lot about the role of animals in Berber life, the way the family lived and worked together, the role of the men and women and how children were brought up. In the upper rooms, he showed the weaving looms and explained how women were trained to weave and add their creativity to their work. Their skill and individuality brought with it extra income for the family. The curator also showed the guest areas and how they would be welcomed to a family house. The visits was excellent, unplanned and as I was alone there - a very personalised and informative time. It was here that I also learnt why all the cacti were dying in the region - a parasite has taken over and is killing the plant. The locals think its a conspiracy to inflate the price of the cacti fruit which used to be abundant and are now costing 10 euros a kilo....

I walked into the nearest town, Tafraoute, to buy food from the market and on returning to the hotel caught views of the Lion's Head in the mountains above the valley, in the evening sunlight. It's a famous landmark and sits high above the valley.