Lonely Planet Morocco
Page 67
Taxi
The grand-taxi lot is down a stepped path below the Gare Routière. Taxis go to Fez (Dh35, one hour), Meknès (Dh30, one hour), Khenifra (Dh35, one hour) and Ifrane (Dh9, 10 minutes), and less frequently to Midelt (Dh55, two hours). Those for ‘Ain Leuh (Dh14, 30 minutes) wait beside the Shell petrol station on the main road out to the southwest (by the police station).
If you want a private taxi out of town, head to the grand-taxi rank behind the mosque, on Blvd Moulay Abdelkader.
Midelt ميدلت
Pop 55,304
Midelt sits in apple country between the Middle and the High Atlas and makes a handy break between Fez and the desert. Coming from the north, in particular, the landscape offers some breathtaking views, especially of the eastern High Atlas, which seem to rise out of nowhere.
Midelt consists of little more than one main street (Ave Mohammed V in the north, which becomes Ave Hassan II to the south), a modest souq and a number of oversized hotel-restaurants, which cater to the tourist buses whistling through on their way south. The town itself is of little interest to tourists, but it makes a good base for some off-piste exploring of the Jebel Ayachi region.
Midelt
4Sleeping
1Hôtel AtlasA2
2Riad Villa MideltB2
5Eating
3Complexe Touristique Le PinB3
4Restaurant AdnaneB3
1Sights
Kasbah MyriemARTS CENTRE
(Atelier de Tissages et Broderie; GOOGLE MAP ; %06 64 44 73 75; h8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Thu & Sat, 9-11am & 3-5pm Fri)
If you’re in the mood for carpets, this Kasbah-styled workshop, about 1.5km west of town, is worth a look. It helps Berber women develop their embroidery and weaving. The workshop provides looms and materials, as well as a simple place to work. Local girls – aged 15 or so – come here in order to learn these skills from more experienced women. Literacy lessons are also offered. Follow the signs from the main road, then enter behind the clinic.
Kasbah Myriem MonasteryMONASTERY
(hservices 7.15am daily & 11am Sun)
This monastery is home to a few Franciscan monks and the grounds are an interesting place to wander. Ring the bell at the big wooden doorway next to the Kasbah Myriem carpet centre to gain entry.
Apple StatueLANDMARK
( GOOGLE MAP )
The lands around Midelt are apple-growing country, hence this oversized statue of an apple perched atop Midelt's main roundabout in the centre of town. It makes a good orientation point.
4Sleeping & Eating
Central Midelt lacks decent hotels, and many of the more comfortable options are slightly further out – not that this is a problem for most visitors, who simply use Midelt as a stopover to break up the long journey south to the desert.
Most of the bigger hotels in and around Midelt have licensed restaurants.
Hôtel AtlasHOTEL€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 58 29 38; 3 Rue Mohammed el-Amraoui; s/d Dh60/120)
It's a bit cramped and rough around the edges, but this pension's friendly family owners make up for its shortcomings. Zellij decoration adds character and there's a small home-run restaurant on-site (mains from Dh35). Rooms are predictably simple and some are without windows, but they're clean, as are the shared bathrooms with squat toilets (hot showers cost Dh10).
Hôtel Kasbah AsmaaHOTEL€€
(%0535 58 04 08; Rte Er-Rachidia; s/d/apt incl breakfast Dh400/550/950; paWs)
About 3km from central Midelt, this large kasbah-style hotel announces that you’re on the road south. It has comfortable rooms and apartments, an inviting pool at the centre of the property and opulent common areas. Its lunchtime buffet is a favourite with tour groups, but there's also a licensed restaurant (ask for half-board discounts).
Riad Villa MideltGUESTHOUSE€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 36 08 51; www.hotel-riad-villa-midelt.com; 1 Pl Verte; s/d incl breakfast Dh450/600; paWs)
In a garden setting, this large 10-room suburban house offers spacious rooms, some with balconies. The biggest surprise is the lovely pool in a walled adjunct to the house. The friendly staff can whip up dinner for Dh150. The villa is well signposted from central Midelt and a petit taxi to/from the bus station costs Dh10.
Restaurant AdnaneFAST FOOD€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Hassan II; mains from Dh20; h8am-12.30am; W)
The leafy corner terrace at Adnane is a perfect spot for watching the world go by while you wait for a delicious plateful of rotisserie chicken. Here it's served with bread and olives, lentils, fragrant rice, herby tomato salad and tasty chicken gravy: possibly the best spread you'll find in any similar joint across Morocco. Staff are friendly, too.
Complexe Touristique Le PinMOROCCAN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0535 58 35 50; Ave Hassan II; menu Dh70; h8am-9pm; Wc)
There's a faint air of neglect hanging about this large cafe-restaurant site but it still manages to draw in coach groups with its decent food, friendly service and pleasant garden. The restaurant is at the back to the left of the entrance and serves a menu du jour (Dh70) featuring a couple of tajines. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
8Information
BMCI ( GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Hassan II; h8.15am-4pm Mon-Fri) One of several banks with ATMs on this street.
Cyber Cafe ( GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Hassan II; per hr Dh5; h10am-11pm)
Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; off Ave Hassan II; h8am-4.15pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm)
8Getting There & Away
The Gare Routière is 2km east of central Midelt and CTM buses run from here, too (mostly at night). There’s an evening departure to Casablanca (Dh175, seven hours) via Rabat (Dh145, five hours), and to Rissani (Dh95, four hours) via Er-Rachidia (Dh50, two hours) and Erfoud (Dh80, 3½ hours). There are also night-time services for Azrou (Dh55, two hours), Meknès (Dh80, three hours) and Fez (Dh90, five hours).
Other buses cover the same routes at more sociable hours – Fez (Dh60, five hours) is serviced by four departures through the day.
Grands taxis ( GOOGLE MAP ) to Azrou (Dh70, two hours), Er-Rachidia (Dh50, two hours), Meknès (Dh80, three hours) and Fez (Dh110, three hours) depart from a lot near the central Apple Statue off Ave Hassan II; grands taxis to Berrem ( GOOGLE MAP ) (Dh6) depart from a different square off Ave Hassan II.
Around Midelt
Midelt’s location on the cusp of the eastern High Atlas makes the surrounding rural areas a striking sight: barren, dusty and framed by rearing mountains. Off the main routes, roads are rough pistes, with many only really negotiable between May and October and even then only by 4WD.
This area is heaven for mountain bikers, as well as ideal hiking country (though the barren hills are short on shade).
1Sights
Gorges d’AouliRUINS
The eerie ghost-town mining village of Aouli and the dramatic crevasse it fills make an interesting road trip from Midelt. It was built by the French in the 1930s and at its peak housed an industrious community of 6000 workers, who lived on a plateau 660 steps above the gorge's river bed. Today, all but a couple of guardian families have left, but much of the abandoned mine workings remain. It's a scenic 25km drive northeast of Midelt, and Dh400 round trip by grand taxi.
Before you reach the village of Aouli itself, stop off at le galleries – one of the locations where workers would have burrowed into the hills extensively for lead, copper and silver. The domed caverns, carved into hillocks, are just the type of place where you might expect to hear goblin drums rising out of the depths. They're difficult to find; look for a dirt track on your left, seemingly to nowhere, just after the start of the only village along the S317 coming from Midelt.
After le galleries, the road starts to deteriorate in places as you get deeper into the hills. Keep following the track and it'll be clear when you reach Aouli itself – note the open shafts, some halfway up the cliffside, the railway line that disappears 20km into the mountainside, and the furnaces. Continue along t
he road through the village and the road will eventually start to ascend, doubling back on itself to reach an abandoned mosque and hundreds of rows of crumbling workers' houses overlooking the gorge.
In total, it'll take at least two hours to get here and back from Midelt.
2Activities
Cirque JaffarSCENIC DRIVE
The Cirque Jaffar winds through the foothills of Jebel Ayachi, 25km southwest of Midelt. It’s a rough piste, and regular cars will grumble on the route in all seasons, but the dramatic crests of the Atlas are otherworldly driving companions. The highlight of this drive is a dramatic walk-through gorge. Ksar Timnay Inter-Cultures offers this circuit as a day tour.
Gorges des BerremHIKING
(Kasbah des Noyers)
The village of Berrem, 6km west of Midelt and a Dh50/6 private/shared grand-taxi ride, is also known as the Kasbah des Noyers for its ancient walnut trees and makes a good starting point for a day hike to a scenic overlook of the Gorges des Berrem. Head to the village's colourful mosque and cross the bridge to join the thin trail. There's no shade.
4Sleeping
Auberge JaafarHOTEL€
(%0535 36 02 02; http://aubergejaafar.free.fr; Rte du Cirque de Jaafar & d'Imilchil, Berrem; s/d incl breakfast Dh300/350; ps)
This petite, ramshackle kasbah-style complex is about 6km west of Midelt through peaceful apple orchards, just past the village of Berrem. Basic rooms of all shapes and sizes are set up around terraces and a blooming courtyard, and there's a raised pool (though it's seen better days). Note that it's not feasible to stay here unless you have your own car.
Ksar Timnay Inter-CulturesRESORT€€
(%0535 58 34 34; www.ksar-timnay.com; btwn Zaida & Midelt; s/d incl breakfast Dh320/450, Riad Mimouna Dh450/550; paWs)
On the dusty highway 20km north of Midelt, this kasbah hotel-motel sits in large leafy grounds and offers a wide range of accommodation from rooms to family apartments, as well as camping and caravanning. Rooms are large and comfortable enough; those in fancier Riad Mimouna aren't a whole lot nicer than the standard rooms. The restaurant is poor.
The owners are passionate about the region and offer excursions at Dh300 per person per day, as well as trekking to Jebel Masker (3265m) and Jebel Ayachi (3737m). The snag is that all of its trips are a minimum of four people – and the hotel rarely gets busy enough to put together a group of that size.
8Getting There & Away
Public transport only runs between populated areas so, for example, you'll be able to catch a shared grand taxi to Berrem from Midelt, but not to Gorges d’Aouli.
Once you're off the main highway the roads around Midelt are bad. This means seemingly short trips can take longer than you'd think, which can also push up the costs if you need to hire a grand taxi. Expect to pay about Dh500 for half-day hire.
Ksar Timnay Inter-Cultures, north of Midelt, will rent you a 4WD (with driver) for around Dh1200 – good value if there’s a group of you.
Taza
Pop 148,456
Taza fulfils all the criteria of a sleepy provincial centre and if it weren't for the deep caves and empty trails on its doorstep, it probably wouldn't be worth stopping by. In town, climb the impressive restored fortifications up to Taza Haute, the walled medina, for panoramic views of the Rif to the north and the Middle Atlas to the south. Then head out to explore the eastern Middle Atlas, including Gouffre du Friouato (one of the most incredible open caverns in the world) and Tazekka National Park.
Taza is divided neatly in two: the ville nouvelle (also called Taza Bas, or Lower Taza), centred on Pl de l’Indépendance, and the walled medina (Taza Haute), occupying the hill 2km to the south. The unremarkable ville nouvelle is of little interest to visitors but this is where most of the accommodation is, along with the bus and train stations.
History
The fortified citadel of Taza is built on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the only feasible pass between the Rif Mountains and the Middle Atlas. It has been important throughout Morocco’s history as a garrison town from which to exert control over the country’s eastern extremities.
The Tizi n’Touahar, as the pass is known, was the traditional invasion route for armies moving west from Tunisia and Algeria. This is, in fact, where the Romans and the Arabs entered Morocco. The town itself was the base from which the Almohads, Merenids and Alawites swept to conquer lowland Morocco and establish their dynasties.
All Moroccan sultans had a hand in fortifying Taza. Nevertheless, their control over the area was always tenuous because the fiercely independent and rebellious local tribes continually exploited any weakness in the central power in order to overrun the city. Never was this more so than in the first years of the 20th century, when ‘El-Rogui’ (Pretender to the Sultan’s Throne) Bou Hamra held sway over most of northeastern Morocco.
The French occupied Taza in 1914 and made it the main base from which they fought the prolonged rebellion by the tribes of the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas.
Taza Haute
1Sights
1Andalous MosqueC3
Bab er-RihA1
2BastionD3
3Grande MosquéeB1
4Medina WallsA1
5SouqsB2
2Activities, Courses & Tours
6HammamC3
4Sleeping
7Hôtel de l'ÉtoileC3
1Sights
Medina WallsHISTORIC SITE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
The impressive restored medina walls, around 3km in circumference, are a legacy from when Taza served briefly as the Almohad capital in the 12th century. The two most interesting sections are the crumbling bastion and the Bab er-Rih. The outer road that leads to Bab er-Rih is also interesting for its richly decorated doorways and windows high up in the walls, guarded by old, carved cedar screens.
Bab er-RihVIEWPOINT
(Gate of the Wind; MAP GOOGLE MAP )
The most interesting section of Taza Haute's fortified wall is around Bab er-Rih, from where there are superb views over the surrounding countryside. Look southwest to the wooded slopes of Jebel Tazzeka in the Middle Atlas, and then to the Rif in the north, and it’s easy to see the strategic significance of Taza’s location. Two tranquil cafes with mountain views sit opposite this section of the wall.
BastionVIEWPOINT
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Taza Haute's bastion, where the medina walls jut out to the east, was added to the 12th-century fortifications 400 years later by the Saadians, but it's not been restored so you'd be forgiven for thinking it the oldest part. Duck under the archway just before Pl de la Resistance to see how it is being used today: as a grain store.
Grande MosquéeMOSQUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Not far from Bab er-Rih, and visible over the top of the houses, is the Grande Mosquée, which the Almohads began building in 1135; the Merenids added to it in the 13th century. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter, and it’s difficult to get much of an impression from the outside of the building. From here the main thoroughfare wriggles its way southeast to the far end of the medina.
Andalous MosqueMOSQUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
The main street into the medina off Pl Aharrach stretches past hole-in-the-wall bakeries before reaching this mosque, constructed in the 12th century. There is no sign and from within the medina it's difficult to tell it's a mosque; look for the two green mosaic doors, where men and women enter separately. Non-Muslims cannot enter.
SouqsMARKET
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
The souqs and qissaria (covered market) are at the heart of Taza's medina, offering food stuffs and domestic goods. The qissaria glitters with jewellery, and also sells clothes.
Taza Ville Nouvelle
4Sleeping
1Grand Hôtel du DauphinéA2
5Eating
2Café AmsterdamA2
Grand Hôtel du DauphinéA2
3La CasaA1
4Mou MouA2
6Drinkin
g & Nightlife
5Café la JocondaA1
8Information
6Attijariwafa BankB2
7BMCIA2
Cyber FriwatoA1
8Pharmacy CentraleA2
Transport
9CTM OfficeA2
10Petits TaxisA2
2Activities
HammamHAMMAM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; off Zenqat Sidi Mesbah; Dh12.50; hmen 5am-noon & 7pm-midnight, women noon-7pm)
Just off Pl Aharrach, around the back of the Hotel de l'Etoile, this local hammam is a good place to scrub away the cares of the road.
Around Taza
oGouffre du FriouatoCAVE
(%06 68 57 61 94, 06 66 01 47 90; Dh5, guide Dh200, protective clothing & headlamp Dh50; h8am-6pm)
At over 20m wide and 230m deep, the Gouffre du Friouato is said to be the deepest cavern in North Africa, and the cave system is possibly the most extensive. In 2016 a section of the roof collapsed, killing some schoolchildren, and at the time of writing the caves were still closed – ask in Taza before heading out here. A return grand taxi from Taza Haute costs Dh200 upwards – depending on how much time you want in the caves.