Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RISSANI TO ZAGORA
Rather than retracing the N10 back to Marrakesh via Tinerhir and Ouarzazate, adventurous
desert travellers opt for the N12, which traces the southern foothills of Jebel Saghro via Al-
nif, Tazzarine and N'Kob. The road sees little traffic and few tourists and provides an inter-
esting link through prime fossil-hunting territory to the Drâa Valley, where it emerges at
Tansikht 63km north of Zagora and 98km south of Ouarzazate.
Kasbah-studded N'Kob is the most atmospheric place to stay in the area, and provides a
good base for Jebel Saghro treks and exploration.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Alnif
Much of Morocco's Anti-Atlas Mountains are built of Paleozoic rocks, dating back to
between 245 and 570 million years. When these rocks were deposited, a shallow sea
covered the region. Trilobites scuttled along the seafloor, and huge schools of
Orthoceras,
squid-like nautiloids with cone-shaped shells, swam above. When they died, their shells
were preserved in the limy mud of the
Maidir basin
located between Erfoud and Alnif,
awaiting resurrection as the polished curios, coffee tables and ornamental sinks that now
cram Alnif's roadside shops.
Today more than 50,000 Moroccans earn their livelihoods in the fossil and mineral spe-
cimen mining and export business. It's hard, labour-intensive work where men hand-work
the fossil-rich seams and old mining spoil heaps with chisels, picks and hoes. Prices depend
on rarity, condition and the quality of the workmanship in the preparation, and can range
from tens of dirhams to tens of thousands of dirhams for museum-quality specimens.
Ih-
madi Trilobites Centre
( 0666 22 15 93; trilobites@caramail.com; Alnif; 9am-5pm)
, on the main
road, sells genuine fossils at fixed prices. The geologist owner also leads short trips to local
fossil sites (Dh180 for the afternoon).
Sleeping & Eating
Few travellers spend the night in Alnif
Kasbah Meteorites
KASBAH
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