Tizi n'Tichka (; ) is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
in Morocco, linking the south-east of Marrakesh to the city of
Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate (; , ), nicknamed ''the door of the desert'', is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, south-central Morocco.
Ouarzazate is a primary tourist destination in Morocco during the holidays, as well as ...
through the
High Atlas
The High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas, is a mountain range in central Morocco, North Africa, the highest part of the Atlas Mountains.
The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moro ...
mountains. It lies above the great Marrakesh plains, and is a gateway to 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 ...
.
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 30 November 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 (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
. The road was constructed along the old caravan trail by the
French military
The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...
in 1936,
and is now part of National Route 9 (formerly Route P-31).
Fauna
The last known wild
Barbary lion
The Barbary lion was a population of the lion subspecies '' Panthera leo leo''. It was also called North African lion, Atlas lion, and Egyptian lion. It lived in the mountains and deserts of the Maghreb of North Africa from Morocco to Egypt. It ...
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 (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...
*
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 com ...
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Mountain passes of Morocco