Gourougou mountain seen from Marchica beach

Mount Gurugu (Jbel Gurugu, Massif de Gourougou, جبل_كوروكو,) is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

area in

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 ...

located almost entirely in the town of

Bni Chiker Bni Chiker (Tarifit: Bni Cikaa, ⴱⵏⵉ ⵛⵉⴽⴰⴰ; Arabic: بني شيكر) is a town in Nador Province, Morocco. At the time of the 2014 census, it had a population of 21,715. A large proportion of the population is Berber Berber or ...

near the province of

Nador Nador ( Riffian-Berber: ⵏⴰⴷⵓⵔ) is a coastal city and provincial capital in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco with a population of about 161,726 (2014 census). Nador city is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a salt lagoon nam ...

. The Mountain is densely populated, with no proper census having been done within the area, rather relying on the amount of houses visible. The mountain's main resources exist out of

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

products such as animal herding or crops. The mountain has many tourist spots such as castles and Mosques like Madjid Azameen, a mosque located near the center of the mountain. Thazuda Castle and Mosque Arrahmane in Gourougou mountain

Thazuda Castle and Mosque Arrahmane in Gourougou mountain

The mountain has a max height of around 900 metres, and is located in the Rif region of Morocco.

History

The

Battle of Annual The Battle of Annual was fought on 22 July 1921 at Annual, in northeastern Morocco, between the Spanish Army and Rifian Berbers during the Rif War. The Spanish suffered a major military defeat, which is almost always referred to by the Spanish a ...

was fought partially on the mountain, as its height offered a strategic advantage against planes and cavalry troops down below. The mountain's height also provided strategic advantage to scouts and generals because it was much easier to mark enemy troop positions from a high point without being seen. The castles that were mentioned before show that the mountain was already properly inhabited during the middle ages. The mountain throughout history offered a strategic advantage due to its height and relatively low population and thus, played a part during the

Rif War The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by History of France, France in 1924) and the Berbers, Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at ...

In 2005, the affair of the illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa received a lot of media coverage when dozens of illegal immigrants crossed the border of Melilla (Spanish enclave) via Morocco, climbing the barriers using ladders. Barracks were set up in Beni chiker near Gourougou and the Melilla border to deter illegal immigrants from resettling there.

History

Sources

See also