Agdz, also spelled Agdez ( ber, ⴰⴳⴷⵣ, ar, أگدز) is a
Moroccan town in the
Drâa-Tafilalet
Drâa-Tafilalet ( ar, درعة - تافيلالت, darʿa - tāfīlālt; ber, ⴷⵔⴰ ⵜⴰⴼⵉⵍⴰⵍⵜ, drɛa tafilalt) is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 88,836 km2 and had a population of 1,635,008 as ...
region, in the
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...
with a population of about 10,000. It is located at around . Agdz lies at the feet of
Djebel Kissane and along the shores of the
Draa River
:''Dra is also the abbreviation for the constellation Draco.''
The Draa ( ber, Asif en Dra, ⴰⵙⵉⴼ ⴻⵏ ⴷⵔⴰ, ary, واد درعة, wad dərʿa; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara) is Morocco's longest ...
.
Geography
Agdz is located about 65 kilometers south of
Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate (; ar, ورزازات, Warzāzāt, ; ary, وارزازات, Wārzāzāt; shi, label= Berber, ⵡⴰⵔⵣⴰⵣⴰⵜ, Warzazat), nicknamed ''the door of the desert'', is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the region of Dr ...
, 92 kilometers north of
Zagora. Agdz, which means "resting place," is located along the old
caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of veh ...
route linking
Marrakech
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
to
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
, and played an important role in the exchange of goods across the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
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.
In geographic terms, the most predominant feature of Agdz is
Jebel Kissane which is in the middle of the Draa Valley to the east of Agdz. Kissane means
"glasses" in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
and the jebel is so named because it looks like glasses of tea behind a tea pot.
History
The years of 1970 and 1980 were hard on the agricultural sector due to droughts.
Local institutions
The weekly outdoor market (souk) is held on Thursdays across the bridge from the city center.
Dar Chebab (Youth Center) Mohamed Ezzarktouni is the main youth center in Agdz operated by the Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports. Along with a variety of clubs and organizations, the Agdz Media Club was started in December 2012.
There are many associations in Agdz that perform a wide range of civic duties. The Agdz Association for the Development and Protection of the Environment was founded on May 29, 1999, and includes The University Students Club which is made up of students from the Agdz area who are currently studying at universities in Morocco such as Marrakech, Agadir, and Ouarzazate. The University Students Club organized a Book Fair and Cultural Celebration from January 29 to February 1, 2013, which was held at Dar Chebab Mohamed Ezzarktouni.
Agdz has two football (soccer) clubs.
Features
File:Agdz Dar Chebab.jpg, Dar Chebab Mohamed Ezzarktouni in Agdz
File:Hassaniat Agdz et Amal Agdz.JPG, Agdz has two football (soccer) clubs
File:Draâ river.JPG, Draa River
:''Dra is also the abbreviation for the constellation Draco.''
The Draa ( ber, Asif en Dra, ⴰⵙⵉⴼ ⴻⵏ ⴷⵔⴰ, ary, واد درعة, wad dərʿa; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara) is Morocco's longest ...
in Agdz
File:Tamnougalte.JPG, Ksar of Tamnougalte
File:Casbah de tawrirte.JPG, Casbah of Tamnougalte
File:Jebel Kissane.jpg, Summer solstice 20 June 2012 looking east at Jebel Kissane in Agdz
File:Djebel kissane agdz.jpg, View of Jebel Kissane
File:Djbel Kissane.JPG, View of Jebel Kissane
External links
Lexicorient
Populated places in Zagora Province
{{DrâaTafilalet-geo-stub