Azrou () is a Moroccan town 89 kilometres south of Fez in Ifrane Province of the Fès-Meknès

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Etymology

''Azrou'' is a

geomorphological Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. Ge ...

name taken from the landform of a large rock outcrop (Aẓro, ⴰⵥⵔⵓ, means "rock" or "stone" in the

Berber language 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 ...

Tamazight) in the centre of the city.Tourist article

History

The first record of Azrou city in history in a letter sent by Fernão Taveira to king

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

. Azrou is mostly known for hosting the first high school in the Berber region: the Berber high school of Azrou (now the Tarik Ibn Ziad School). It was built by the French colonial authorities in order to train Moroccans for the colonial administration. It was one of the instruments for the implementation of a Berber Dhahir, which changed the justice system in areas where Amazigh languages were predominantly spoken, excluding these areas from

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

and the authority of the Makhzen that applied to the rest of Morocco, and implementing a new legal system ostensibly in accordance with

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 ...

laws and customs written in French. The college became an educational institution in the reference area, forming part of the political and military elites from 1956 to 1973, after independence, the college was renamed Azrou Tarik Ibn Ziad High School. In 1952, 20

Benedictine monks The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, the ...

arrived to establish near the town the

monastery of Toumliline The Monastery of Toumliline (French language, French: ''Monastère de Toumliline'') was a Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Toumliline, Morocco. It was the only Benedictine monastery in Morocco and hosted the ''International Meetings'', an a ...

which hosted

interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue, also known as interreligious dialogue, refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religion, religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spirituality, spiritual or humanism, hum ...

s between Christians, Jews and Muslims of different nationalities between 1955 and 1964. The monastery, which was closed in 1968 due to tensions within Morocco as well as global tensions, served as film location to the movie Of Gods and Men around 2010. The town was long neglected by the Moroccan authorities since independence in 1956 to the detriment of the nearby town of Ifrane. Although it is the true capital of the Middle Atlas and a town that has given Morocco many leaders and intellectuals, the town still does not officially rank as provincial capital, although it is in practice. The town has several hotels.

Geography

The market town of Azrou is located at a strategic crossroads of the N13 and N8 roads towards the northern end of the Middle Atlas. The N13 road connects Azrou to Meknes in the north west and Midelt in the south east. The National Route N8 comes from Fes in the north east and continues to Khenifra and then

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

in the south west. Azrou is at an altitude of 1250 m and surrounded by mountains covered with evergreen holm oak and cedar. The Cèdre Gouraud Forest is located to the south east, where one of the sub-populations of the

Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the genus ' ...

, ''Macaca sylvanus'' (called ''magots'') lives and draws the attention of tourists. In addition to its rich biodiversity symbolized by the famous cedar forest there are the butterflies which are unique in the world. The surroundings of Azrou are a centre of attraction for the residents, hikers, and picnickers of the large neighbouring towns. These surroundings are also home to the 'Cedre Gouraud' or 'Grand Cedar', a famous tourist attraction. Moreover, the Azrou forest provides an excellent hiking and exercising environment and also holds several summer camps for children. Azrou urban construction is in the European style (red tile roofs). The region is also known for its

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

trees,

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

trees, fish farms, and the abandoned sanatorium in the surrounding metropolitan area of Ben Smim.

Climate

Generally, Azrou experiences a warmer climate than Ifrane, because the city is at a lower altitude. Under the Köppen system, Azrou features a

hot-summer mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(Csa), in spite of its cold winters, not cold enough to be classified as a continental mediterranean climate (Dsa). Thus, winters are moderately cold and snowy, but without substantial accumulation. Summers are hot and moderately dry, which are noticeably wetter than in Ifrane.

Picture Gallery

File:Azrou Morocco.JPG, Azrou city File:Azrou,placeMohammedV.jpg, The Place Muhammed V File:Azrou, Morocco (6342862579).jpg, Sheep Market File:Azrou 2.JPG, An Azrou street File:Azrou.JPG, The Azrou rock File:Azrou.jpg, Azrou town File:Neighborhood Tizi Moulay El Hassan in Azrou.jpg, Neighborhood Tizi Moulay El Hassan in Azrou File:Le Musée Amazigh d'Azrou.jpg, The Amazigh Museum of Azrou File:Mosquée Hassan II Azrou.jpg, Hassan II Mosque Azrou File:La source d'eau Sebab Azrou.jpg, Esebbab fountain in Azrou city File:Centre ville d'Azrou.jpg, Azrou City center

Twinning

The city signed a protocol of cooperation with

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

in July 2011Twinnings of the town of Blois
*

(France) since 2011. * Melle (France) since 1996.

Sources

{{Fès-Meknès Populated places in Ifrane Province