Azilal (, ) is a provincial capital in central

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 ...

, in the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. They separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around through M ...

. It is also the capital of the M'Goun Conservation Area.

History

Azilal was originally a meeting place for various

Amazigh Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their u ...

tribes to gather and trade. During the

French protectorate in Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan ...

, the town was occupied by colonial forces and used as an outpost to spread further into the mountains. A colonial quarter remains inhabited to this day by local Amazigh families. The quarter is located on a hill within Azilal's municipal boundary and is separated from the town by a colonial-era wall. But the surrounded area are more famous for their resistance against colonial like Ait Attab, Tabia, Bzou, Tanant, Demnate and others.

Geography

Given the rich geology of the surrounding mountains, Azilal is the capital of the M'Goun Conservation Area and home to the M'Goun Geopark Museum. Azilal has become a jumping-off point for tourists to visit various

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. The Ouzoud Falls, one of the most popular sites in the conservation area, is only 27 km away by road. South of Azilal, there is a 304.8-meter high mast for longwave broadcasting.

Demographics

Azilal is inhabited by Moroccans of

descent. Most Amazigh families come from surrounding villages/communes. Azilal residents, therefore, often speak both

Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic ( ), also known as Darija ( or ), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum and as such is mutually intelligible to some extent with Algerian ...

and

Tamazight The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related but mostly mutually unintelligible languages spoken by Berber communities, who ar ...

Landmarks

Thursday Souq

Every Thursday, residents of Azilal and surrounding villages gather at the southwest end of the city to buy and sell goods in an open-air souq. The souq is divided into sections based upon the goods being sold. A second

share taxi A share taxi, shared taxi, taxibus, or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus. Share taxis are a form of paratransit. They are vehicles for hire and ...

stand is also set up just beyond the souq gate to streamline transportation from other towns. Rather than travel to the center of Azilal, passengers can go directly to the souq.

Dinosaur statue

A dinosaur statue was built in Azilal to commemorate the establishment of the M'Goun Conservation Area. This statue is a popular attraction for both Moroccan and international tourists who stop to take pictures with it. At night, the statue is lit up with multi-colored lights and surrounded by water fountains.

Culture

Along with Muslim and national holidays, Azilal residents also celebrate the Amazigh New Year according to the

Berber calendar The Berber calendar () is the agricultural calendar traditionally used by Berbers (''Amazigh'', plural ''Imazighen''). The calendar is utilized to regulate the seasonal agricultural works. The current Berber calendar is a legacy of the Roman pr ...

. A celebration of the holiday is often held in either a local cultural center or youth center and features reenactments of moments in Amazigh history and the singing of Amazigh pop and folk music. For the Amazigh New Year, many families in Azilal prepare couscous with seven vegetables. The traditional song and dance, ''ahidus'', is performed at most weddings and cultural events in Azilal. This call and response song has also been recorded by Amazigh pop artists and is occasionally played digitally rather than performed. Other cultural practices such as saint worship and tribal face tattooing have begun to decline. These practices are now seen as sacrilegious by many Moroccans including those in Azilal. While the practices themselves are disappearing, facial tattoos can still be seen on older Amazigh women and the remains of shrines for saints are still standing in and around Azilal.

Notable people

Soufiane Bouftini, footballer

References

Municipalities of Morocco Populated places in Azilal Province Azilal {{BéniMellalKhénifra-geo-stub