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Erg Chebbi (
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 (Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–19 ...
: ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴱⵉ, ar, عرق الشبي) is one of 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 A ...
's several ergs – large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. There are several other ergs such as Erg Chigaga
Erg Chigaga (or Erg Chegaga, Berber: ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴳⵉⴳⴰ, ar, عرق شقاق or Edaya el-Hamra, ar, الضاية الحمراء) is the largest and still untouched of the major ergs in Morocco, the other is Erg Chebbi near Merzouga. ...
near M'hamid. Technically all these ergs are within an area of semi-arid Pre-Saharan Steppes and not part of the Sahara desert
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
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which lies some distance to the south.
Description
In places, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise up to 150 meters from the surroundinghamada
A hamada ( ar, حمادة, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by deflation. The majority of the Sahara is in fact hamada. Other examples are Negev dese ...
(rocky desert) and altogether it spans an area of 28 kilometers from north to south and up to 5–7 kilometers from east to west lining the Algeria
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n border.
The nearest sizable town is 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 Ann ...
, about 60 kilometers further north. One other city is 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 Ch ...
, around 40 kilometers from Merzouga
Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algerian border.
The village is known for its proximity to Erg Chebbi and is a popular destination for tourists. It has been ...
. 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 small village in southeastern Morocco, about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algerian border.
The village is known for its proximity to Erg Chebbi and is a popular destination for tourists. It has been ...
, the local tourist center, is located on the western lee of the dunes, together with some 70 or more 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 several kilometres into the erg, and out of sight of the hotels. Erg Chebbi's proximity to the tourist center has led to the erg sometimes being referred to as "dunes of Merzouga."
During the warmest part of the year, 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 ar ...
.
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 erode, transport, and deposit mate ...
*Blowout (geology)
Blowouts are sandy depressions in a sand dune ecosystem (psammosere) caused by the removal of sediments by wind.
Commonly found in coastal settings and margins of arid areas, blowouts tend to form when wind erodes patches of bare sand on stab ...
* List of ergs
References
Ergs of Africa Landforms of Morocco Deserts of Algeria Errachidia Province Geography of Drâa-Tafilalet {{Morocco-geo-stub