Errachidia: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The Ziz comes down from the High Atlas and runs south past Errachidia into the Tafilalet, the great oasis where Morocco's ruling dynasty was born. Along it stand ksour, fortified villages of mud brick, most now abandoned for concrete houses beside them. This half-day drive follows the river south from town to the palm grove of Aoufous. About 50 km each way; the ruins are fragile, so stay on the paths and don't climb walls.
A short history of Errachidia
Until 1975 the town was called Ksar es-Souk; it was then renamed after Moulay Rashid, founder of the Alaouite dynasty in the 17th century, whose family came from the Tafilalt region to the south. In this area, near present-day Rissani, Sijilmasa was founded in 757, one of the most important trading posts on the caravan routes to the Sahara. The modern town grew up around a French military post, and in 1971 the dam on the Ziz River was opened to the north of it, supplying water to the oases of the valley.
The ten best sights in Errachidia
1Jewish CemeteryThe cemetery of the town's former Jewish community, next to the Muslim one
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2Ksar Sidi Bou Abdellah
Crumbling mud-brick ksar on the Ziz, 10 minutes from town
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3Kasba Lakdima
Ruined old kasbah in the palm grove downstream
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4Old ksar of Meski
Ruined village on the cliff above the Blue Spring; climb at sunset
5Khettaras of JorfUnderground water channels you can climb down into; local guides at the site
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6Ksar M'Aadid
Large fortified village still lived in, near Erfoud
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7Source Bleue de Meski
Spring-fed pool in the palms; swimming allowed, busy on weekends
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8Hassan Addakhil reservoir
The lake behind the dam just north of town
9Reservoir viewpointOver the turquoise lake and bare hills
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10Aoufous palm grove
The Ziz valley at its greenest, on the road to Erfoud
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Errachidia →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Errachidia:
Free walking tours in Errachidia
Down the Ziz
The Ziz comes down from the High Atlas and runs south past Errachidia into the Tafilalet, the great oasis where Morocco's ruling dynasty was born. Along it stand ksour, fortified villages of mud brick, most now abandoned for concrete houses beside them. This half-day drive follows the river south from town to the palm grove of Aoufous. About 50 km each way; the ruins are fragile, so stay on the paths and don't climb walls.
- Ksar Sidi Bou Abdellah · A ksar is built as a single fortress: one gate, closed at night, with houses, granaries and a mosque inside high walls of rammed earth. Rain is the main enemy of such walls, and an abandoned ksar can melt away within decades.
- Kasba Lakdima · Lakdima means 'the old one': the villages along the Ziz often have an old ksar and a new one beside it, as families moved out of the cramped walls in the 20th century.
- Source Bleue de Meski · The spring rises from the foot of the cliff into a pool built during the French period, said to be the work of the Foreign Legion. It waters the palm gardens of the village below.
- Old ksar of Meski · The old village of Meski sits on the opposite bank, its walls the colour of the cliff. From the top you see the line of green that the spring and the Ziz draw through the stone desert.
- Souk Meski · The stalls sell fossils from the Devonian rocks of the region, about 400 million years old. Many are genuine, but some are carved or assembled, so check the price against what you see.
- Aoufous palm grove · The Medjool date comes from the Tafilalet. When a palm disease, bayoud, devastated the oases in the early 20th century, offshoots were taken to the United States in 1927, and today's Medjool plantations worldwide descend from them.
Water in the desert
Every palm in this region lives on water brought from somewhere else: from the Atlas snow held back by a dam, or from underground channels dug by hand centuries ago. This drive links the modern answer with the ancient one, from the reservoir north of town to the khettaras near Jorf and a fortified ksar beyond. About 150 km in total; the khettaras are cramped and muddy inside, and the guides at the site expect a tip.
- Hassan Addakhil reservoir · The dam was completed in 1971 to stop the floods of the Ziz, which could destroy the mud villages downstream, and to store water for the Tafilalet. Its name honours Hassan ad-Dakhil, an ancestor of the Alaouite dynasty.
- Reservoir viewpoint · In drought years the lake shrinks far below its banks, and the pale ring on the hills shows where the water used to reach. The oases downstream depend on what is left.
- Khettaras of Jorf · A khettara is a gently sloping tunnel that carries groundwater by gravity to the fields, with a line of vertical shafts for digging and cleaning. The technique is the same as the qanat of Persia, and the Tafilalet once had hundreds.
- Historic Waterworks, Jorf · Seen from above, the khettaras are lines of crater-like mounds across the plain — the spoil from each shaft. Maintaining them was shared work, and water rights were measured in hours of flow.
- Jorf · Jorf is one of the oases that the khettaras kept alive. Many of the channels dried up as wells and motor pumps lowered the water table, and a few have been restored.
- Ksar M'Aadid · M'Aadid is one of the large ksour near Erfoud that are still inhabited, its lanes partly roofed over against the sun. Life inside keeps to the rule of one gate and narrow covered passages.
Market town of the Tafilalet
Errachidia is a modern town, built around a French military post, but it is the gateway to the Tafilalet, where the Alaouite dynasty began in the 17th century. This route starts in the centre and runs south an hour to Erfoud, the town of dates and fossils on the way to the dunes of Merzouga. Half a day; in summer the heat here passes 40 degrees, so drive in the morning.
- Gare Routière · Until after independence the town was called Ksar es-Souk, 'the fortress of the market'. It was renamed Errachidia after Moulay Rachid, the 17th-century sultan who made the Alaouites masters of Morocco.
- Central market · The Tafilalet grows dozens of date varieties, from the soft Medjool to dry ones that keep for a year. The October harvest is the busiest time in the market.
- Jewish Cemetery · Jews lived for centuries in the oases of the Tafilalet, as traders and craftsmen in the ksour. Nearly all of them left in the 1950s and 60s, most for Israel, and this cemetery is one of the traces they left in the town.
- Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif Airport · The airport is named after Moulay Ali Cherif, the ancestor from whom the Alaouite kings take their line. His family settled in the Tafilalet from Arabia in the 13th century, and his mausoleum is at Rissani, south of Erfoud.
- Erfoud · Erfoud holds a date festival every autumn after the harvest.
- Manar Marbre, Erfoud · The black stone quarried near Erfoud is packed with orthoceras and ammonites, sea creatures from when the Sahara lay under an ocean. Workshops cut it into tables, sinks and slabs sold around the world.
Getting to Errachidia and getting around
- Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif Airport · Small airport just east of town with flights to Casablanca
- Gare Routière · Buses to Fès, Merzouga and Ouarzazate; in the centre
Cheap eats in Errachidia
Errachidia sits between the Atlas and the Sahara, and its food takes from both: mutton and harira from the mountains, dates and medfouna, the stuffed bread of the Tafilalet, from the oases. Dates are on every table and in every market stall. Eating is cheap, and the cafés on the main avenue serve breakfast from early morning.
- Central market dates · Half a kilo of dates, about 15-60 dirhams by variety
- Cafe Snack Restaurant Atlanta · Regional plates and sandwiches, about 25-50 dirhams
- Sindibad · Fast food in the centre, about 20-40 dirhams
- Café Noujoum · Mint tea and breakfast, about 10-20 dirhams
- Cafe restaurant Echajara · Moroccan breakfast and tagine, about 15-50 dirhams
Museums in Errachidia
- Khettaras of Jorf · Climb down into an ancient water tunnel
- Ksar M'Aadid · A living ksar near Erfoud; a local will guide you
- Old ksar of Meski · Mud-brick ruins above the spring
- Manar Marbre, Erfoud · Fossil workshop and showroom
- Jewish Cemetery · Traces of the Tafilalet's Jewish past
Nature and day trips near Errachidia
- Source Bleue de Meski · Swim in spring water under the palms
- Hassan Addakhil reservoir · A lake in the stone desert
- Aoufous palm grove · The Ziz valley's green ribbon of palms
- Reservoir viewpoint · Turquoise water and bare hills
- Er-Rich · Upper Ziz valley toward the Atlas
Things to do in Errachidia with kids
- Source Bleue de Meski · Splash in the spring pool
- Khettaras of Jorf · Crawl through a real underground canal
- Manar Marbre, Erfoud · Fossils as big as your arm
- Dar Yan park · Run-around space in town
- Souk Meski · Pick a small trilobite or ammonite
Where to eat in Errachidia
- Restaurant Imilchil · Tagines and grills on the main avenue
- Marina · Dinner in the centre
- Doha · Moroccan dishes and grills
- Dima Cinq Cinq · Casual dinner on the main street
- Ighiz Inn · Restaurant on the west side; ask for medfouna
Frequently asked questions about Errachidia
What is there to see in Errachidia?
The top sights in Errachidia are Jewish Cemetery, Ksar Sidi Bou Abdellah and Kasba Lakdima. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Errachidia?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Errachidia without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Errachidia?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Errachidia, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Down the Ziz.
How do you get to Errachidia and get around?
The main ways are Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif Airport and Gare Routière. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Errachidia, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Errachidia that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Errachidia for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.