5252

2 h 43 min (163 km) N1

This five-hundred kilometre stretch of Atlantic coastline takes in Morocco’s urban heartland and accounts for close to a fifth of the country’s total population. It’s an astonishingly recent growth along what was, until the French Protectorate, a neglected strip of coast. The region is dominated by the administrative capital, Rabat; and the commercial capital Casablanca.To south you’ll encounter some coastal resorts, including El Jadida, Oualidia and Essaouira, the most Europeanized part of Morocco. Along the coast are a large number of beaches, but this being the Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean, tides and currents can be strong. Surfing is a popular sport along the coast and Essaouira is Morocco’s prime resort for windsurfing

N1 is an important

highway running along the western Atlantic coast of

the country

N1 is the longest national

motorway in the country

The long Atlantic coast line is

renowned for its picturesque point

breaks and “perfect rights” — waves that curl to

the right

Cap Ghir is a cape in Morocco and is nearby to Asqaylf and Agayou Ouroumi

Fruit and vegetable market

in Tamri

The commune Tamri had a total population of 17442 people living in 2927 households

Tamri is located at the mouth of a ‘oued’ irrigating banana plantations

Grown almost exclusively

in Morocco the Argania is a rare

and protected species after years of over-farming and

clear-cutting. The tree produces

an annual fruit crop, and it is this

delicious morsel that attracts legions of local goats who

hop up into the branches to pick

out the fruit.

In Morocco, arganeraie forests now cover some

8,280 km² and are designated as a

UNESCO biosphere reserve

Argania trees and the goats on the way between Agadir and Essaouira

Local farmers condone and even cultivate this bizarre feeding practice, keeping the goats away from the trees while the fruit matures and releasing them at the right time. There is also a secondary benefit to the goats’ habits which is found in their poop. After the goats finish eating the fruit and nuts off the tree, they pass valuable clumps of seeds which are then pressed to create the sought-after Argan oil.Unfortunately, since the tree goats can be quite profitable for their owners, more and more of them have been brought into the area, causing a general decline in the health of the remaining Argania trees

Argan fruit

The fruit of the argan tree is

small, and round, oval, or conical. A thick peel covers the fleshy pulp.

The pulp surrounds a hard-shelled nut that

represents about 25% of the weight of the fresh fruit.The nut contains one to three oil-

rich argan kernels.

Extraction yields from 30% to 50%

of the oil in the kernels,

depending on the extraction method

Argan Nuts the dried fruit and the nuts

Extraction is key to the production

process. To extract the

kernels, workers first dry argan

fruit in the open air and then

remove the fleshy pulp. Some producers

remove the flesh mechanically

without drying the fruit. Moroccans usually use the flesh as animal

feed

Argan Nuts the dried fruit (left), the nuts (centre) and the kernels (right)

The argan tree provides food,

shelter and protection from desertification. The trees' deep

roots help prevent desert encroachment. The canopy of

argan trees also provides shade

for other agricultural

products, and the leaves and fruit provide feed for

animalsThe argan tree

also helps landscape

stability, helping to prevent soil

erosion, providing shade for pasture

grasses, and helping to

replenish aquifers

Producing argan oil has helped to protect argan trees from being cut down. In addition, regeneration of the Arganeraie has also been carried out: in 2009 an operation to plant 4,300 argan plants was launched in Meskala in the province of Essaouira.The downside to this economic boon is that it leads to families buying more tree-climbing goats, which can be very bad for Morocco’s argan forests. As households benefit economically, they often purchase more goats. Goats are the primary threat to the argan forests because they climb the trees to graze their leaves

The quince (Cydonia oblonga)

Lamp in the restaurant

Sound: Hamid Zahir - Lalla Fatima

2017

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet 46-51 Copyright: All the images belong to their author

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela