Tizi n'Tichka ( ber, ⵜⵉⵣⵉ ⴻⵏ ⵜⵉⵛⴾⴰ, Tizi en Ticka; ar, تيزي ن تيشكا) is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
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 ...
, linking the south-east of
Marrakesh
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 the city of
Ouarzazat through the
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 ...
mountains. It lies above the great Marrakesh plains, and is a gateway to the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
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Desert.
Climate and elevation
From November through March, snow can often fall on the pass, but it can be warm all year round in the strong sun. It has been believed for a long time that it reaches an elevation of above the sea level (this is also indicated on a sign at the top of the pass), but a gps-measurement by Hans Mülder on November 30 2022 indicated it is only high, which was confirmed by Google Earth, on which the highest altitude of the pass is . It is the highest major mountain pass in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. The road was constructed along the old caravan trail by the
French military
The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces.
France ...
in 1936,
and is now part of National Route 9 (formerly Route P-31).
Fauna
The last known wild
Barbary lion
The Barbary lion, also called the North African lion, Berber lion, Atlas lion, and Egyptian lion, is an extinct population of the lion subspecies ''Panthera leo leo''. It lived in the mountains and deserts of the Barbary Coast of North Africa, f ...
in Morocco was shot near Tizi-n-Tichka in 1942.
Gallery
File:ColduTichka.JPG, Col du Tichka
File:Tizi n'Tichka Pass - 2.jpg,
See also
*
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
*
Wildlife of Morocco
References
External links
*
Tizi n'Tichkaon
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guide book series created by Arthur Frommer in 1957. Frommer's has since expanded to include more than 350 guidebooks in 14 series, as well as other media including an eponymous radio show and a website. In 2017, the company ...
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Mountain passes of Morocco