Jbel Ayachi ( ar, جبل العياشي) is one of the highest mountains in North Africa, and anchors the Eastern

High Atlas High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas ( ar, الأطلس الكبير, Al-Aṭlas al-Kabīr; french: Haut Atlas; shi, ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ ⵏ ⴷⵔⵏ ''Adrar n Dern''), is a mountain range in central Morocco, North Africa, the highest part of t ...

in central

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. Jbel Ayachi rises to a height of 3,757 m above sea level. This mountain area provides a habitat to the

bearded vulture The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate mi ...

Geography

Rather than denoting a single peak, Jbel Ayachi refers to a mountainous ''massif'' more than 20 kilometers in diameter. Conceptually a ring, the Ayachi region harbors a seasonal lake at its center and is surrounded by peaks and passes that often surpass 3000 m in elevation. During the 20th century, American climbers erected a large metal cone to mark the peak. Jbel Ayachi's second-highest peak is located in the southeast. Despite its proximity to the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

, the peaks of Ayachi remain snow-covered and cold late into the year. Snow remains on most of the peaks until late May or early June, and in a few sheltered spots may survive the entire summer. The government of Morocco published accurate topographical maps of the region in 1968, including contours, peaks, and some of the paths and springs. This can be purchased from the Division de Cartographie in major Moroccan cities. The Ayachi region is covered by the maps of the

Midelt Midelt (Berber language: ⵎⵉⴷⴻⵍⵜ, Arabic: ميدلت) is a town in Morocco, in the high plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges. With a population of 55,304 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census, Midelt serves as t ...

and Er-Rich districts.

Human geography

Formerly forested, the landscape has been severely affected by

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

. Le déclin du Jbel Ayachi - Les moutons marocains sabotent une montagne
/ref> It is now dominated by sparse brush, loose stony soil, and sharply defined

wadis Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water o ...

and ravines.

Nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

Berbers have inhabited the mountains for many years, raising

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

and

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of th ...

and remaining largely isolated from the sedentary farmers and market towns of the plains. The

nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

often come into conflict with government foresters over the use of natural resources, especially trees. The heart of the nomadic community in Ayachi is the village of Tarhirat, which has no permanent dwellings but is centrally located and well-watered.

Features

References

External links

*
Trekking in Morocco - Jbel Toubkal, Jbel Mourik, Jbel Ayachi, Jbel M'Goun
{{Mountains of Morocco Ayachi Atlas Mountains

Geography

Human geography

Features

See also

References

External links