For your knowledge

The Draa VAlley
Situated in South-Est Morocco and crossed in its middle by the 6°c meridian, the Draa valley is 200 kkm long and expands over 23000 square kilometers. It is bordered by the djebel Saghro in the north, by the Djebel Bani in the Est, by the Draa Hamada in the south and by the ani-atlas mountains in the West. Its prevalent climate is saharian with very low rainfull. The average temperature is 23°C with very important day and season variations. Agriculture is to be found in valleys and cattle-breeding by nomadic and sedentary people in mountains, plains and desert plateaux.
The Draa oisis is composed with six big palm groves : Mezguita, Tinzouline, Ternata, Fezwata, Laktawa et M'hamid, linked together and fertilized by the Draa oued; its average width is 3km with extrems of 100m and 10km.
In 2002 the Draa valley population was estimated 30 thousand inhabitants among whom the Haratines, the Chorfas, the Mrabtines, the Imazighen and the Arabs descended from the Maâkile tribes.
Traditionnal housing in Draa valley reflects a harmonious society based on the economic, social and cultural cohesion of its palm groves. Its organization and the techniques which are used for its building show the genius of the population.This traditiol housing is the main heritage of the sahara culture and translates the local socio-economic organization. The Ksar is undoubtedly the most commen type of building as well as the Kasbah and Agoudim.
(adapted from "Treasures and Marvels of the Draa valley")

Nomads
In Paleolithic and Mesolithic ages mankind was nomadic while in Neolithic ages man became seminomadic or sedentary. Today nomadism still remains the way of life best adapted to arid and desolate areas as it is indeed an ajustment of the environement. Above all nomadic life means organization and forsight, the small number of daily life ustensils, the size and diversity of herds, the choice of the place, the instalation of the tent and lot of other things are regulated by a deep knowledge of rules linked with the weather and the environment.
Tha draa valley nomads are either arabs who been breeding camel (dromedaries) and goats for long with occasional transSahara trade, or berbers who also rear camels, goats and sheeps. Men work hard to mete the family needs; they explore the desert looking for pastures and look after camel heards; they walk to the souks (weekly markets) to sell some cattle and get fresh supplies. Women's work is as hard as men, and even children getting a certain age take part of the work. Women are resposable of the daily chores which they share with their children. They walk a long way to find wood and water, they do the cooking, they milk goats and ewes and they do some little breeding; they weave and sew the tents and some times look after the goats while working the wool to make ropes and blankets.
The nomad's main source of income is cattle-breeding although recent droughts have let them getting settled.

Rock Art
The Draa valley is famous for its numerous rock paintings and engravings. 300 sites are known in Morocco, more then 30 of them in the Draa valley; they are scattered allover the area at the mouths of temporary streams or in hill slopes but particularly around Tazarine, Tinzouline, Tamgroute, Mird and Tagounite. Sandsone and quartzite rocks are ideal for the developing of rock art. The techniques used are pecking and polishing. These painting document a long period of over 4 millenniums. They depict wild animals an domesticated cattle as well as hunting, herding and war scenes and therefore suggest cultural and chronological divertsity. Some libyco-berber and arab incriptions can also be found there.
The Jorf Elkhil site: Located on the right bank of Oued Draa (22km west to Ouled Slimane), it offers more then 109 libyco-berber painting pecked on 51 sandstone slabs and representing horsemen, jawels, fibulas and bracelets.
The Foum Chenna site: Located 7Kms to Tinzouline and 1100m long, it is one of the largest rock art sites in the Draa valley with the highest concentration of libyco-berber isrcriptions in morocco. The painting were pecked on the cliffs overlooking the left bank of the oued Foum Chenna and represent horsemen, felines, ostrich and scorpions as well as javelins, spears and round shields and even abstract patterns. These paintings give a lot of magor information about fighting techniques and weapons, about hunting and herding methods and also about domesticated cattle such as goats, camels and horses. The abundance of paintings suggests that this area was largely populated at the end of the first millennium before Christ depite its hostile envirement and it reflects the high level of civilisation of the peoples living there at that time.
The Assif Ouigane site: The drawings there show horses, goats, camels and felines associated with geometrical patterns and unarmed horsemen. Libyco-berber iscriptions can be seen on three slabs and quiet astonishingly, some Kofi arab scriptures situated on the left bank of the oued. The site is quit similar to the Jorf Elkhil site and Foum Chenna site.
The Lbatha Lbaida site: Situated 2Kms to Ouled Youb village, the rock paintings there are to found at the mouth of the Chaâba on the left bank. They represent horsemen, human figures and goats as well as fibulas and daggers. Specific to this site there are some pecked illustrations of animals (elephants, ox, antelopes) and abstract patterns. There is also an unusual and disproportionate picture of a rider with alog javelin attacking a man on foot.
The Tibasksoutine site: Situated 5Kms north-west to Tamgroute, this rock art site is a mixture of the different techniques developped in these areas particularly at Tazarine, tidri and Mirde. There are aboute 100 slabs engraved and scattered over more than 10 spots. The technique used is mostly polishing and pecking is concentrated on the north-est slope of the hill. However peckting is associated with polishing on some engravings. The site is rich in wild fauna paintings (gazelles, bubals, horses, ostrich) and human figures.
The Ben Slmane site: On the south slope of the eastern part of the Ben Slmane Jabel, paintings are scattered over several kilometers. They document different periods. There can be seen an elephant similar to the polished engravings of the Ouazik area, some pictures of hunting tools and horsemen and some solar signs. They are of different styles: mostly polishing in the Eastern part and pecking in the central and Western part.

(adapted from TREASURE AND MARVELS OF TEH DRAA VALLEY)

The Dromedary
"The introduction of the camel, more occuratly of the dromadary into Maghreb seems to be dating back to Roman ages. The increase of the number of dromedaries was to drasticaly change the life in the Sahara oases and allow long trips from one sideof the desert to the other one, whether to look for pastures or to ensure trading relations between North arfrica and Sudan"

Extracted from (Sahara morocco from origins to 1670 by Dr. Jacques Meunier)

Remarks and anegdotes, the fuit of our life with camels
The dromadary is a species. As everybody knows they can manage up to six weeks (up to three months, one nomad ones tod me) as long as theyeat green grass. They usually like being free and if they run away they never come back which explains that you will see camel drivers hobble them at night. Otherwise you will have to carry your mattresses and tents on your backs in the morning! so don't be sad for the camels. They've got charcter! They don't let anybody ill-treat them, not even stoke them for very long. They have an excellent memory as they can remember traks and wells and recognize other dromedaries and the persons they are used to seeing. They are vindictive and can take their revenge on a master if often treated badly or on a dromedary that was once stronger and might have bitten them.