Onwards ……

4 September 2014

Part of the square in the centre of Ouarzazate

Leaving Ouarzazate, we travelled through seasonally barren countryside directly to our overnight stop at another gorgeous riad, this time in Zagora, before doing the real exploring of the day. In September it was almost impossible to imagine either crops or snow along this route, but that is what happens. Apparently 🙂

On the road ...

Everywhere I stayed was different and wonderful. I was very conscious of the difference between where I stayed and where the locals lived. Tourist accommodation is much more akin to dwellings of Very Rich Moroccans.

My quarters and stairs leading up to my rooftop terrace.

The library at my riad in Zagora
 .... looking rather under-used.

There were only a couple of small towns along the way, but hives of activity. The mud-brick buildings always amazed.

Near Tinzouline

After getting settled and having lunch, we were off, through the D’raa Valley and its ever-present palm groves. I was just a bit early for date season, the trees bearing so many still-ripening fruit. Our goal was Tamgroute , in particular a pottery collective and a very special library.

If you google ‘Tamgroute’, you will come up with similar looking names such as Tamgrout and Tamegroute. These variants are an example of what frequently happens when a Berber or Arabic name is transliterated into English script.

Palms in the D'raa valley 

The haziness in the D’raa valley is typical of what it was like for pretty much the whole trip - muted shades rather than sharp colours.

First stop at Tamgroute was the pottery, venturing into the mysterious buildings that you saw along main roads. It was a real rabbit warren, very easy to get lost in … pretty much like any medina! The smell in some parts more than hinted at the lack of western plumbing.

Behind the walls of Tamgroute ...

.... into the alleyways,
some of which were pretty dark.

Finally we reached the pottery. Collectives (pottery, weaving, whatever) typically seemed to be incorporate a small number of families (5-10), enough to be able to provide the infrastructure and manpower to make it viable. The potting wheel was a set-up I’d never seen before. I got a bit of a shock when the potter jumped into a hole in the floor! You couldn’t see his feet in action, spinning the wheel.

Potting

Then into the oven

The finished products come in all shapes, colours and designs but the colour for which Tamgroute is famous is a particular green, a “secret recipe” mix of manganese and copper.

Unfortunately 'not' showing the famous Tamgroute green

Bearing in mind size, weight and breakability, I bought a mini, mini famously green tagine which friends now have sitting on their dining table, used as a mini salt pig. For myself I bought a bowl vaguely reminiscent of Cornish Blue kitchenware.

My little blue and white striped bowl
 - 9 cm diameter at the rim

Then it was on to that special library. It is called the Koranic Library but it is much more than a place of theological study. Tamgroute is a centre renowned for the broad education it has offered over the centuries. Most of the current buildings look pretty new although the library was established in the 17th century.

Forecourt and mosque at the educational precinct.

Approaching the library, which is to the right of this photo.

The library currently houses about 4,000 texts, the oldest dating from 1032, beating by 62 years the old Arabic text I saw back in 2011 at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. There were many illuminated texts, rivalling the Books of Hours that you see in western libraries. A matter of great regret that you couldn’t take photos. The library is maintained by an older man, I wouldn’t like to guess his age. As he guided me through the library, he was wheeled about by his grandson who is learning the ropes and will take over from his grandfather in due course.

Leaving the library.
"Librarians" (I don't know how they describe themselves)
just visible inside the doors, my wonderful driver and guide in front.

Then it was back to Zagora. A swim in the pool before another beautiful meal – have I mentioned my particular love of the chicken and preserved lemon tagine? Or the one with apricots and sultanas?

The pool at Zagora - from my rooftop terrace.

Looking over the riad walls from my rooftop terrace you could see dates aplenty ripening on the palm trees. Below, irrigation channels in the ground indicate plots for crops in due season. Not a square inch of arable land is wasted.

Palms at Zagora

Then a good night’s sleep before the thrill of the next day – the Sahara!