Imilchil or Imilshil ( , ) is a small town in Midelt Province of 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 ...

with a population of about 1,858. It is located at an elevation of 2119 m in the valley of Asif Mellulen ("white river"). The area of Imilchil is home to the Ayt Hdiddu tribe, belonging to the Ait Yafelman confederation, and the inhabitants speak

Central Atlas Tamazight Central Atlas Tamazight or Atlasic (native name: ''Tamazight'' ; ) is a Berber languageCentral Atlas Tamazight may be referred to as either a Berber language or a Berber dialect. As Berber languages have some degree of mutual intelligibility, ...

. Tourist attractions in the area include the caves of Axyam (Akhyam), the Aguni waterfalls, the Ziz Gorges and Valley and the ''igherman'' castles (

ksar Ksar or qṣar (), in plural ksour or qsour (), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh). The equivalent Berber languages, Berber term used is ' ( ...

s) of the area.

Climate

Due to its altitude, Imilchil has a severe

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb''), according to the Köppen system due to its below-freezing average temperature for the coldest month. Summers are hot and quite dry, with warm days and cool nights while winters are cold and snowy with below-freezing conditions, especially at night.

Marriage festival

The town of Imilchil represents a symbol of

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 (1913–196 ...

culture, known for its festival, officially known as ''Betrothal Festival'' – the ''Souk Aam'' or ''Agdoud N'Oulmghenni''. The legend goes that two young people from different tribes fell in love, but were forbidden to see each other by their families. The grief led them to cry themselves to death, creating the neighbouring lakes of Isli (his) and Tislit (hers) near Imilchil. The families decided to establish a day on the anniversary of the lovers' death – when members of local tribes could marry each other. Thus the Imilchil Marriage Festival was born. In reality, the region is a large scattering of tiny villages, and when a young person needs to find a partner, they can't simply go and look for one, due to the conservative social norms. Thus, the festival allows for fathers to show their daughters and find husbands for them. When a woman accepts a man's proposal to marry, she says "You have captured my liver" (''Tq massa n uchemt''). Up to 40 couples take their vows on the same day. The festival is rich with music, dancing, feasts, and colorful clothing. The celebrations attract many tourists to the area, and though contributing to local economy, there are fears that the rituals can be affected by the foreigners.

References

External links

A video of the "Festival de musique des cimes".

{{Midelt Province Berber populated places Berber words and phrases Populated places in Midelt Province Mountain villages in Morocco