Merzouga is a small village in southeastern

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 ...

, about southeast of

Rissani Rissani is a town in Errachidia Province in eastern Morocco, located near Erfoud. It is the closest town of significant size to the Erg Chebbi, the largest sand desert in Morocco. Its population in 2004 was 20,469. The mausoleum of Moulay Ali ...

, about from

Erfoud Erfoud ( ber, ⴰⵔⴼⵓⴷ, Latn, ber, Arfud; ar, أرفود) is an oasis town in the Sahara Desert, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, eastern Morocco. It is divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Annah ...

and about from the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

. The village is known for its proximity to

Erg Chebbi Erg Chebbi ( Berber: ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴱⵉ, ar, عرق الشبي) is one of Morocco's several ergs – large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. There are several other ergs such as Erg Chigaga near M'hamid. Technically all these ergs are w ...

and is a popular destination for tourists. It has been described as "a desert theme park" and the Erg Chebbi as "a wonderland of sand". Merzouga has the largest natural underground body of water in Morocco. Typical Merzouga Street 2011

In 2006, Merzouga experienced devastating

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

s, displacing 1,200 and resulting in some deaths. Near the dunes of Erg Chebbi there are other known villages: Hassilabied away,

Tanamoust Tanamoust is located at the bottom of Erg Chebbi, a Saharan erg in southeast Morocco near the Algerian border. It most famous well known nearby village is Merzouga. Other villages around the dunes are Hassilabied, Takoujt, Khamlia Khamlia is a ...

away,

Takoujt Takoujt village is located on the bottom of Erg Chebbi, a Saharan erg in southeast Morocco near the Algerian border. Its most well known nearby village is Merzouga. Other villages around the dunes are Hassilabied, Tanamoust, Khamlia Khamlia is ...

away,

Khamlia Khamlia is a small village located on the edge of sand dunes of Erg Chebbi in southeast Morocco near the Algerian border. The village is also called the southern gateway to the Sahara, which begins in Algeria. There is a larger village named Mer ...

away and Tisserdmine away.

History

Legend states that Merzouga once flourished as a tropical jungle until it was turned into a desert environment by God who punished families for refused offerings to a poor woman and buried them in the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Merzouga was uninhabited but later became a transit point for merchants heading 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 ...

. It later became a pilgrimage for the nomads of the

Ait Atta An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

tribes and eventually became a tourist destination. Ancient fortified villages have existed in Merzouga for centuries. During French colonial rule fortifications were built by troops of the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

after the battles of Taflalet, which occurred between 1916 and 1932.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline http://www.merzouga.org/ Populated places in Errachidia Province Oases of Morocco