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Erg Chebbi () is one of
File:Dunes de Merzouga.jpg, the Erg Chebbi seen from the outskirts of Merzouga
File:Erg Chebbi Dunes Camel LL.JPG, Camels used for tours into the erg
Erg Chebbi () is one of Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
's several ergs – large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. It is located on the far western edge of the Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
Desert. There are several other ergs in Morocco, such as Erg Chigaga near M'hamid.
Description
In places, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise to 150 meters from the surroundinghamada
A hamada (, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky (basalt) plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by Aeolian processes#Wind erosion, deflation. The majority of the Sahara is hamada. Other e ...
(rocky desert) and altogether span an area of approximately 28 kilometers from north to south and 5–7 kilometers from east to west lining the Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
n border.
The nearest sizable town is Erfoud, about 60 kilometers further north. One other city is Rissani, around 40 kilometers from Merzouga
Merzouga (, ) is a village in southeastern Morocco. The village is near the Erg Chebbi dunes, one of the tallest in the Sahara. It is about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algeria–Morocco border, Algerian border. S ...
. Rissani was the site of a kingdom known as Sijilmassa, which became prosperous from the 8th to the 14th century due to its control of the caravan routes.
Although rainfall is not very common, in 2006 flooding adjacent to the dunes destroyed many buildings and killed three people.
Tourism
Merzouga
Merzouga (, ) is a village in southeastern Morocco. The village is near the Erg Chebbi dunes, one of the tallest in the Sahara. It is about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algeria–Morocco border, Algerian border. S ...
, the local tourist center, is located on the western lee of the dunes, together with hotels and auberges running north-south along the dunes. Many companies offer camel trips into the dunes, taking tourists on overnight trips to permanent campsites on the outer sections of the erg. Erg Chebbi's proximity to the tourist center has led to the erg sometimes being referred to as the "dunes of Merzouga".
During the warmest part of the year, some Moroccans come to Erg Chebbi to be buried neck-deep in the hot sand for a few minutes at a time. This is considered to be a treatment for rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...
.
Features
See also
*Aeolian processes
Aeolian processes, also spelled eolian, pertain to wind activity in the study of geology and weather and specifically to the wind's ability to shape the surface of the Earth (or other planets). Winds may erosion, erode, transport, and deposit ...
* Blowout (geology)
* List of ergs
References
Ergs of Africa Landforms of Morocco Deserts of Algeria Errachidia Province Geography of Drâa-Tafilalet {{Morocco-geo-stub