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Figuig or Figig ( ar, فجيج; Figuig Berber: Ifeyyey) is an
oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
town in eastern
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 to ...
near 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 ...
, on the border with
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
. The town is built around an oasis of
date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...
s, called ''Tazdayt'', meaning "palm tree" in the
Berber language The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...
, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness. Modernization has somewhat raised the
standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
, and drawn much of the town's population away, so that it is now struggling to reach stability. Its population in 2014 was 10,872, down from a peak of 14,571 in 1982. The
Ksour Range The Ksour Range or Kçour Range ( ar, جبال القصور, french: Monts des Ksour or ''Djebel Ksour'') is a mountain range in Algeria. Stretching across the provinces of Béchar and El Bayadh, it is the westernmost range of the Saharan Atlas, ...
is a mountainous area extending between Figuig and El Bayadh.


Population

The majority population of Figuig speaks a Berber dialect, Figuig Berber, a Zenati variety including many
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 ...
elements. Some women speak only in this language, while men also speak Moroccan Arabic. Figuig Berber is understood by Berber speakers from the area of Aïn Sefra in the east to the Atlas in the west. The
Sanhaja The Sanhaja ( ber, Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen; ar, صنهاجة, ''Ṣanhaja'' or زناگة ''Znaga'') were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Ma ...
have left their traces in the
toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
(the mountain, the pass and the village which bear the name of Zenaga are witnesses). In addition to Berber-speaking sedentary people, the population of the oases includes many "marabouts" who call themselves
sharif Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...
s and have played an important role in social cohesion over the past centuries, softening feuds and quarrels between villages or within villages. A third element of the population is the Harratins gathered in Zenaga where they live in a particular neighborhood: Al-Hahda. They are workers of inferior status, responsible for the maintenance of the foggaras and, in general, the main agricultural works in the palm plantation. The descendants of slaves are often confused with the Harratins. The small Jewish Berber population, formerly gathered in the two
mellah A ''mellah'' ( or 'saline area'; and he, מלאח) is a Jewish quarter of a city in Morocco. Starting in the 15th century and especially since the beginning of the 19th century, Jewish communities in Morocco were constrained to live in ''mellah'' ...
s of Zenaga and Udaghir, has practically disappeared. There were 5,000 subjects at the beginning of the twentieth century.


Aghrem

Figuig consists of seven different communities (Ighermawen in Figuig Berber dialect) which are: At-Wadday, At-Amar, At-Lamiz, At-Sliman, At-Annaj, At-Addi, Iznayen. A community territory is called an ''Aghram'', which is the word some local Berbers use to describe themselves in their tongue; plural ''Igramawan''. The communities are usually made up of a fortified group of houses. Many Aghrams are designed with defensive measures like watch-towers and heavy doors on the main entrances, which are closed at night, as well as a mazelike layout, called an ''Abrid'' (meaning "pathway" in Berber), which makes navigation for unwanted intruders extremely difficult. Homes, or ''Tidriwin'', are extended by building rooms over the alleyways; these extensions are referred to as ''Askif''. Houses are built mainly with soil, though palm trunks (''tizidin'') and leaf-heads (''tikachba'', ''taratta'') are used in roof construction. The arrival of electricity, plumbing, and concrete construction has not essentially altered the nature of Aghram building. However, modern age buildings are being built more and more in the newly appointed area's at the edge of each "Aghram".


Culture

Aghrams are often centered on a plaza once used for communal gatherings and shopping. Arab
nomad 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 ...
s would exhibit merchandise like cooked butter (''Udi''), dried milk (''Ibrassa''), and sheep wool (''Douft''). However, due to lack of demand and western-influenced tastes, the plaza-markets have waned in both their variety and importance. The ''akharbish'' education, often held near a
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
, had already been replaced by modern French schools since the establishment of the French
colonisation Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
. This trend has only been strengthened by the advantages a Western French education is perceived to confer, and as a result, knowledge of the Berber language has suffered. The original mainly spoken language is
Amazigh , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...
(a Berber language). Figuig's population are referred to as ''At-Ufyyey'' in that language. Amazigh is spoken but not written in Figuig.


Agriculture

The town was established next to an oasis of date palms, and dates, or ''tiyni'', are by far its most important resource. Some hundreds of thousands of date palms are cultivated in the area, and their fruit has become Figuig's primary crop. In the 1960s and 1970s however, Figuig had lost countless date palms because of the ''Bayud'' disease. Wheat, or ''tasharza'', is also an important product of the town. Its cultivation near the town assured a steady supply of the crucial grain which allowed for a higher
quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
. In order to increase arable land, many private farmers have constructed soil-filled stone terraces along the ''Jorf'', a salt mountain nearby. The Jorf is a sort of salt mountain about 1 kilometre long and 50 metres high. It is a nesting site of wild pigeons and bees, as well as scorpions and snakes, and is divided between several private landowners . The Jorf also serves to divide between the upper and lower portions of the town, and several thoroughfares connecting them run across it. The town's water-supply (''aman'') is drawn from its northern end, near the pass which serves as the main entrance to Figuig, and water can generally be found there at the shallow depth of 10 metres. The water is conducted from its source via underground channels (''lakbawat'') to lime and stone or cement
cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
s (''sharij''), from which farmers can utilise it at their convenience. The cisterns sometimes double as
swimming hole A swimming hole is a place in a river, stream, creek, spring, or similar natural body of water, which is large enough and deep enough for a person to swim in. Common usage usually refers to fresh, moving water and thus not to oceans or lakes. ...
s to provide recreation for the local children.


Modernisation

New technologies such as cement and steel construction, as well as electricity,
gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
, telegraphs,
cellular network A cellular network or mobile network is a communication network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless. The network is distributed over land areas called "cells", each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver (typically thre ...
s,
digital satellite Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...
programming, and even
Broadband Internet access Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...
, have made their way to Figuig. These developments have begun to bring the residents remaining in the town into close-contact with local culture, and the town has even seen the opening of several
cafes A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
. A central bureaucracy, held-over from the French control, has supplanted the tribal structure as a center of Figuig's administration.


See also

*
Rock art of Figuig The rock art of the Figuig region of Morocco consists of prehistoric engravings, which date to the Neolithic period. The petroglyphs belong to the wider south Algerian group, ''Sud-oranais'' (South Oranian). They are located east of the rock art an ...


References


External links


Beyond FigigFiguig in English languageofficial site of Figuig
{{Authority control Populated places in Figuig Province Municipalities of Morocco Oases of Morocco Algeria–Morocco border crossings