M’Hamid El Ghizlane

M’Hamid El Ghizlane, "the plain of gazelles," is a rural commune in the province of Zagora, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region. The village lies at the end of the paved road and the beginning of the Sahara Desert. It is located on the edge of the Sahara, near the Algerian-Moroccan border. The Algerian border is 40 km away, but there is no road leading to it.

Its name is said to mean “the plain of gazelles,” likely referring to the presence of gazelles in the area. Once a stopover point on trans-Saharan trade routes, the territory has now become a popular tourist area, particularly as a departure point for desert excursions, especially to the dunes of the Erg Chegaga, where gazelles can still be seen roaming freely in their natural habitat.

M’Hamid is located in the Draa Valley, a former caravan route between the Sahara and northern Morocco. This historic passage attracted diverse populations, leading to significant ethnic mixing and a highly diverse and stratified social structure:

The Draoua (Black population), believed to be the indigenous people
The Saharan Maure tribes (Aârib)
The northern tribes (Aït Sedrate)
The former nomads from the Berber Aït Atta confederation
The sacred lineages (Chorfas and Morabitines)
The Jewish communities
The ksar of M’Hamid is believed to date back to the Saadian era, when it was used as a tax collection point for goods returning from Bilad al-Sudan. It was located in the last habitable area before venturing into the fully nomadic and uninhabited desert regions.

Every year in March, M’Hamid El Ghizlane hosts the International Nomads Festival, and in November, the Taragalte Festival: Sahara and Culture also takes place there.