The timeless desert The Rose

The Valley of Roses

Roses from Kalaat M’gouna Valley are celebrated throughout Morocco, prized for their beauty and heady fragrance. They are gathered in the month of May, during which the great “Rose Moussem” festival is held. Damascus roses (rosa damascene), the variety that grows in the valley, are highly resistant to cold and drought. They are said to have been introduced into Morocco in the 10th century, by pilgrims returning from Mecca and scattering seeds along their way.
Ever since their passing, the valley has been adorned with rosebushes, filling the air with their fragrance. A highly scented variety, the flowers are grown in a series of magnificent rose gardens, and are used in the making of a delicate and much sought after rosewater. In early May, at the first light of dawn, the local women begin gathering the precious blooms, one by one – some 3 or 4000 tonnes a year in the course of a single week! Once harvesting is over, it’s time for festivities to begin. The inhabitants of all the neighbouring villages gather at Kalaat M’Gouna for a three-day festival that
includes exhibitions of farming produce and locally made jewellery and carpets, musical events, and
competitions. The women from the valley’s cooperatives will be more than happy to show you exactly how they distil rosewater and demonstrate the techniques behind the beauty creams and perfumes they produce.

The great Date Festival

When Morocco’s deep south is bathed in its most radiant light, you know that October’s great Date Festival is close at hand. No less than a million date palms grow in the region, and production is widespread (Bouzekri, Boufegous, Majhoul, and Bouslikhan). The festival is an opportunity for
southern tribes to gather together to celebrate the fruit in song and dance in the purest Berber tradition, and a traditional camel race is held in the dunes to mark the occasion. You can gorge
yourself on sweet, melt-in-themouth dates,delicately matured inthe sun throughout the summer
and flavoured any which way you choose, or enjoy them in a brea roll garnished with eggs, onions and spices – medfouna, a treat for the taste-buds!

A celebration of Ahwach culture

The annual National Ahwach Festival is held each September at the Taourirt Kasbah, celebrating
and perpetuating an age-old oral heritage. The festival is a nonstop round of entertainment that
includes drums, dance, improvised poetry, and solo and choral singing. Every tribe from the deep
south has its own troop, and the continuous show is an altogether unique experience. Alongside the festivities, exhibitions, parades, films, plays, and lectures are also on the programme.