Moroccan's Religion and Worldview

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ebibleteacher.com/backgrnd/religion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.ebibleteacher.com/backgrnd/religion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS IDEALS AND worldview permeate all aspects of social order in Morocco. Islam, which means "submission," effects the attitude of the great majority of Moroccans toward social action, their comprehension of reality, governmental power and authority, interpersonal and group relationships, reaction to events and changes, and how they reflect on and even foresee their future and that of their country. Article 6 of the Moroccan constitution identifies Islam as the state religion (al-Islam din ad-dawla), and nearly 98.7 percent of Moroccans are Muslims. Other small minority religions, such as Christianity (1.1 percent) and Judaism (0.2 percent), are tolerated to a certain degree. Given its predominance in Morocco, the Islamic ideologies structure frames of reference against which "natural attitudes and behaviors" toward the world (worldview) are constructed. Religion, as identified by the famous philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883), is the "opium of the masses." It often fulfills emotional, psychological, and even material wants. It can be used to explain human existence and help understand the complexities of life. Moroccans also turn to religion to deal with problems of insecurity, troubled relationships, witchcraft, and other sufferings of life, such as unemployment, poverty, sickness, and death. Human trials move people to seek solutions and remedies through prescribed rituals and adherence to the existing taboos, norms, and values that define their cosmology. A people's worldview or cosmology determines key concepts in which social actions and behaviors coalesce. In Morocco, as in every society, these natural impulses are transmitted to the young members of the society through a process of socialization. As individuals relate to society and tackle the realities of their life challenges, they tend to adopt new ideas and introduce fresh meanings on inherited values. This may result in conversions to new doctrinal orientations, as in the case of the Arab-Berbers who have been compelled by their historical experience to reshape their belief systems and ritual practices since the seventh century. To make religious ideas and worldview in Morocco more intelligible, the basic tenets of the Islamic religion will be highlighted first here because they offer the believer a comprehensive meaning to life. In some places, these overlap with the indigenous Berber belief system and practices. Thus, understanding this complexity gives a complete worldview of Moroccans.</div>

culture Intro to Morocco Sahara Moroccan's Religion and Worldview

ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS IDEALS AND worldview permeate all aspects of social order in Morocco. Islam, which means "submission," effects t...

...full post

Gender Roles, Marriage, and Family In Morocco

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.euphraxia.com/09historylarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.euphraxia.com/09historylarge.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">SURVIVING INDIGENOUS BERBER CUSTOMS, Arab and Jewish family practices, and European influences have all combined to form contemporary kinship practices, family organization, marriage traditions, and notions of gender relations in Morocco. With expansion of Western-style education, closer contacts with peoples of other cultures (including Africans, Asians, and Europeans),and continuing changes in socioeconomic structures and individual lifestyles, the Moroccan family has been responding to dynamics that will continue to shape it. Since the 1970s, for instance, most of the newly educated elite, especially those who received their degrees in France, Belgium, Spain, the United States, or other Western countries, have returned home to make marriages and establish what is often referred to as a more "individualistic" family practices. Whereas the emergent class demonstrates a preference for a smaller and easily manageable family size, most Moroccans have continued to follow tradition with a preference for polygamous marriages, large families, and close kinship and family ties.<br /> As a universal institution, the family is both an organic and social unit of acculturation. Members are linked by blood, and new members are incorporated through marriages. For the welfare and continuity of a unit, members often maintain a common residence as well as follow instituted norms for production and reproduction. This communal relationship ensures generational continuity through prescribed codes of sexual relationships. Therefore, similar to what is found in most African and Asian societies, family life is at the center of Moroccan social order, and children are socialized in accordance with family traditions as an integral part of the wider societal values, expectations, taboos,and religion. In most parts of the so-called Third World, where social security rarely exists, the family fills that vacuum, with the more privileged assisting the poorer members with the basic necessities of life. Young people in Morocco live at home and participate in social events arranged by the family until they are old enough to go to school, learn a trade, or pursue a career that may take them away from home. Traditionally, it is expected that male children will continue to contribute to the welfare of their families; hence, sons tend to remain in their family home after marriage and raise their own families within the extended family structure. In Morocco, however, the sons are free to set up their own households and retain the family's name when the father dies. Although most people still conform to this tradition, the younger generations are gradually opting to live independently with their nuclear families. As it is in most parts of the world, kinship in Morocco is structured along patrilineal lines, the organization of a household based on male blood ties.</div>

Amazigh culture gender Intro to Morocco Sahara Gender Roles, Marriage, and Family In Morocco

SURVIVING INDIGENOUS BERBER CUSTOMS, Arab and Jewish family practices, and European influences have all combined to form contemporary kinshi...

...full post

When to go

<div style="text-align: justify;">As far as the climate goes, it is better to visit the south – or at least the desert routes – outside midsummer, when for most of the day it’s far too hot for casual exploration, especially if you’re dependent on public transport. But July and August, the hottest months, can be wonderful on the coast, while in the mountains there are no set rules.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8jbE6BamqipB1lNKiMuQNFSECHZ9UOXEzhrLosXrO5wbX6cIMpzx5qDQA9GugBozaPmpfn7OlBZu088q3TYB-6Kmc0hgihP4EFcYSoLCMtEkTVoE3gjRZjKwkQglacT9smMgMZWZVqU/s1600/102SSCAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Eljadida port"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8jbE6BamqipB1lNKiMuQNFSECHZ9UOXEzhrLosXrO5wbX6cIMpzx5qDQA9GugBozaPmpfn7OlBZu088q3TYB-6Kmc0hgihP4EFcYSoLCMtEkTVoE3gjRZjKwkQglacT9smMgMZWZVqU/s320/102SSCAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><br /> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spring, which comes late by European standards (around April to May), is perhaps the best overall time, with a summer climate in the south and in the mountains, as well as on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Winter can be perfect by day in the south, though desert nights can get very cold – a major consideration if you’re staying in the cheaper hotels, which rarely have heating. If you’re planning to hike in the mountains, it’s best to keep to the months from April to October unless you have some experience of snow conditions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Islamic religious calendar and its related festivals will have the most seasonal effect on your travel. The most important factor is Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting; this can be a problem for transport, and especially hiking, though the festive evenings do much to compensate. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Morocco’s climate</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlj6UUft9we4iGI_XGY-alBWRlOK3QeJQ-5L5VXEdu5gMf4p8bzQWLo_mV68CoQ0leXu7uJLhPfi1w8zXCWIraWX5LBYQk2p8EINAyEAQf-FfLsILdqP3YsgigFZB7vDsvhTwFPWxlwE/s1600/climat.bmp" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Morocco's climate"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlj6UUft9we4iGI_XGY-alBWRlOK3QeJQ-5L5VXEdu5gMf4p8bzQWLo_mV68CoQ0leXu7uJLhPfi1w8zXCWIraWX5LBYQk2p8EINAyEAQf-FfLsILdqP3YsgigFZB7vDsvhTwFPWxlwE/s320/climat.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>

hot destinations Intro to Morocco Sahara route to desert Tips Travel guide When to go

As far as the climate goes, it is better to visit the south – or at least the desert routes – outside midsummer, when for most of the day it...

...full post

Where to go

<m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd3Z-ZaSkxKfYIAMgJDAYSo8s0DaWYYKc3kWFg2CuXJBCGoFecI2YD-ZTsXgu86XWN0LTcOQ01F9jhKM5-IHNnb_RpCabcv4-vsu37po8bUeZVvaNJTxY4oejgn2XOeCW6SVPO9kQSpU/s1600/snapshotX.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd3Z-ZaSkxKfYIAMgJDAYSo8s0DaWYYKc3kWFg2CuXJBCGoFecI2YD-ZTsXgu86XWN0LTcOQ01F9jhKM5-IHNnb_RpCabcv4-vsu37po8bUeZVvaNJTxY4oejgn2XOeCW6SVPO9kQSpU/s320/snapshotX.bmp" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">G</span>eographically, the country divides into four basic zones: the coast,Mediterranean and Atlantic; the great cities of the plains; the Rif and Atlas Mountains; and the oases and desert of the pre- and fully fledged Sahara. With two or three weeks – even two or three  months – you can’t expect to cover all of this, though it’s easy enough (and highly recommended) to take in something of each aspect.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">You are unlikely to miss the mountains, in any case. The three ranges of the Atlas, with the Rif a kind of extension in the north, cut right across the interior – physical and historical barriers, and inhabited for the most part by the indigenous Moroccan Berbers. Contrary to general preconceptions, it is actually the Berbers who make up most of the population (only around ten percent of Moroccans are “pure” Arabs) although with the shift to the industrialized cities, such distinctions are becoming less and less significant.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">A more current distinction, perhaps, is the legacy of Morocco’s colonial occupation over the fifty-odd years before it reasserted its independence in 1956. The colonized country was divided into Spanish and French zones – the former contained Tetouan and the Rif, the Mediterranean.<br /> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6870866644079530229&postID=6328654542886447163" name="more"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><b>Amazigh community   </b>                                                                                                                              </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85DdrWZTqaz8xBFbjQiK58tKcSBidbFe5lTXu5M6yDQBnhoFgVahXU0rAEnxfHC1JBrLG4QsTFCe3ZQ_t_DagXl0CtHSMXg78IuhAejj_zEpY0vZXVN78J_1Wor_mAyhUtezFTArssoY/s1600/1Berbersmer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85DdrWZTqaz8xBFbjQiK58tKcSBidbFe5lTXu5M6yDQBnhoFgVahXU0rAEnxfHC1JBrLG4QsTFCe3ZQ_t_DagXl0CtHSMXg78IuhAejj_zEpY0vZXVN78J_1Wor_mAyhUtezFTArssoY/s320/1Berbersmer.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span lang="FR">The Berbers were Morocco’s original inhabitants. The Arabs arrived at the end of the seventh century, after sweeping across North Africa  and the Middle East in the name of their new revolutionary ideology, Islam. Eventually, nearly all the Berbers converted to the new religion and were immediately accepted as fellow Muslims by the Arabs. When Muslim armies invaded the Iberian peninsula from Morocco, the bulk of the troops were Berbers, and the two ethnic groups pretty much assimilated. Today, most Moroccans can claim both Arab and Berber ancestors, though a few (especially Shereefs, who trace their ancestry back to the Prophet Mohammed, and have the title “Moulay”) claim to be pure Arabs. But in the Rif and Atlas mountains, and in the Souss Valley, groups of pure Berbers remain, and retain their ancient languages (Tarfi t, spoken by about 1.5m people in the Rif; Tamazight, spoken by over m people in the Atlas; and Teshalhit, spoken by –4m people in the Souss Valley region). Recently, there has been a resurgence in Berber pride (often symbolized by the Berber letter  ) TV programmes are now broadcast in Berber languages, and they are even taught in schools, but the country’s majority language remains Arabic</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>"Fes and Marrakesh are almost unique <br /> in the Arab world for city life which </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>remains in large part medieval"</b></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Broadly speaking,  the coast is best enjoyed in the north at Tangier, beautiful and still shaped by its old “interna-tional” port status, Asilah and Larache, and in the south at El Jadida, at Essaouira, perhaps the most easy-going resort, or at remote Sidi Ifni. Agadir, the main package tour resort, is less worthwhile – but a functional enough base for exploration.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><b><br /> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVJhz_WtGz-McKdMbyQXTybgMyTokf2Wia_C6UzzYrWyiADGoiILnogjUAsLNObCqt9d7DHzFtjJnGlfutPJN7Jq_Ojx6SEJ_0w2pU5rn2isFB4MN9Kf1mnqmMsmQZK_kXZFDNO6eopU/s1600/1mercenary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVJhz_WtGz-McKdMbyQXTybgMyTokf2Wia_C6UzzYrWyiADGoiILnogjUAsLNObCqt9d7DHzFtjJnGlfutPJN7Jq_Ojx6SEJ_0w2pU5rn2isFB4MN9Kf1mnqmMsmQZK_kXZFDNO6eopU/s320/1mercenary.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> Inland, where the real interest of Morocco lies, the outstanding cities are Fes and Marrakesh. The great imperial capitals of the country’s various dynasties, they are almost unique in the Arab world for the chance they offer to witness some city life which, in patterns and appearance, remains in large part medieval. For monuments, Fes is the highlight, though Marrakesh, the “beginning of the south”, is for most visitors the more enjoyable and exciting.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="background-color: #990000; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium none; color: #eeeeee; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr> <td style="border: 1pt solid black; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 481.1pt;" valign="top" width="641"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b>Tajines</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyf_2SMvFIsyTbtM2w1uGOTteHCbhsCimKnZrFuptYX64jTiPKSgHL0GE1qC_qn-DKYCBR38_7FlYX3jtDU2PkqiHFFwAglIuJimEyxlkUn1YNcCe8AWV0fIMUTT4cFC-HO0sdeZf4-E/s1600/TAJIN~0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyf_2SMvFIsyTbtM2w1uGOTteHCbhsCimKnZrFuptYX64jTiPKSgHL0GE1qC_qn-DKYCBR38_7FlYX3jtDU2PkqiHFFwAglIuJimEyxlkUn1YNcCe8AWV0fIMUTT4cFC-HO0sdeZf4-E/s320/TAJIN~0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuSAfnxbqAE5wgQjvZWuCsW_VuLUrYwTjH97Iyq6Ke9_slpLp_WbGknsA_JtXQDs2M9aZW92zWCSCU8VQsMQFYexeg68jWhxiaQdcAeOBUeF7HWvqlqFvPgsRUel7eb_JMKadoXUlNmo/s1600/4329919normal-couscous-1-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuSAfnxbqAE5wgQjvZWuCsW_VuLUrYwTjH97Iyq6Ke9_slpLp_WbGknsA_JtXQDs2M9aZW92zWCSCU8VQsMQFYexeg68jWhxiaQdcAeOBUeF7HWvqlqFvPgsRUel7eb_JMKadoXUlNmo/s400/4329919normal-couscous-1-jpg.jpg" width="316" /></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Like paella or casserole, the word tajine strictly refers to a vessel rather than to the food cooked in it. A tajine is a heavy ceramic plate covered with a conical lid of the same material. The prettiest tajines, </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">decorated in all sorts of colours and designs, come from Safi (see p.404), but the best tajines for actual use are plain reddish-brown in colour, and come from Salé .</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The food in a tajine is arranged with the meat in the middle and the vegetables piled up around </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">it. Then the lid is put on, and the tajine is left to cook slowly over a low light, or better still, over a charcoal stove (kanoun), usually one made specifically for the tajine and sold with it. The classic tajines combine meat with fruit and spices. </div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Chicken is traditionally cooked in a tajine with green olives and lemons preserved in brine. Lamb or beef are often cooked with prunes and almonds. When eating a tajine, you start on the outside with the vegetables, and work your way to the meat at the heart of the dish, scooping up the food with bread.</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #990000; text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Beyond a line drawn between Casablanca and Meknes – is, on the whole, easier and more relaxing than in the sometimes frenetic north. This is certainly true of the mountain ranges, where the Rif can feel disturbingly anarchic, while the southerly Atlas ranges (Middle, High and Anti) are beau-tiful and accessible. Hiking in the High Atlas, especially around North Africa’s highest peak, Djebel Toubkal, is in fact something of a growth industry. Even if you are no more than a casual walker, it’s worth considering, with summer treks possible at all levels of experience and altitude. And, despite inroads made by commercialization, it remains essentially “undiscovered” – like the Alps must have been in the nineteenth century. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Equally exploratory in mood are the great southern routes beyond – and across – the Atlas, amid the oases of the pre-Sahara. Major routes here can be travelled by bus, minor ones by rented car or local taxi, the really remote ones by four-wheel-drive vehicles or by getting lifts on local camions (lorries), sharing space with the market produce and livestock. </div><div style="text-align: left;">The oases, around Tinerhir, Zagora and Erfoud, or (for the committed) Tata or Figuig, are classic images of the Arab world, vast palmeries stretching into desert horizons. Equally memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas – bizarre and fabulous pisé (mud) kasbahs and ksour, with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Further south, you can follow a route through the Western Sahara all the way down to Dakhla, just 20km short of the Tropic of Cancer, where the weather is scorching even in midwinter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas – bizarre and fabulous pisé (mud) kasbahs and ksour, with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Further south, you can follow a route through the Western Sahara all the way down to Dakhla, just 20km short of the Tropic of Cancer, where the weather is scorching even in midwinter.</div>

hot destinations Intro to Morocco Sahara Travel guide Where to go

G eographically, the country divides into four basic zones: the coast,Mediterranean and Atlantic; the g...

...full post

Sahara, brief view

<div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOlQOeRcZjCQpRDWopkuv9FKDIXDT2fU2eMj0zlM4ca_6rW2VsxkzGJ229q27VUP46oVAZlqB4djDVPJ8UU3WxE4Eqz6V9erf9lhl-t-wNXLHDzSq-qNiOhRb4qrSpBvs4s5exNRvnSK6/s1600/theeDesert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOlQOeRcZjCQpRDWopkuv9FKDIXDT2fU2eMj0zlM4ca_6rW2VsxkzGJ229q27VUP46oVAZlqB4djDVPJ8UU3WxE4Eqz6V9erf9lhl-t-wNXLHDzSq-qNiOhRb4qrSpBvs4s5exNRvnSK6/s1600/theeDesert.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sahara[Arab.,=desert], world's largest desert, c.3,500,000 sq mi (9,065,000 sq km), N Africa; the western part of a great arid zone that continues into SW Asia. Extending more than 3,000 mi (4,830 km), from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, the Sahara is bounded on the N by the Atlas Mts., steppelands, and the Mediterranean Sea; it stretches south c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) to the Sahel , a steppe in W and central Africa that forms its southern border. The desert includes most of Western Sahara, Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Libya, and Egypt; the southern portions of Morocco and Tunisia; and the northern portions of Senegal, Mali, Chad, and Sudan. The E Sahara is usually divided into three regions—the Libyan Desert , which extends west from the Nile valley through W Egypt and E Libya; the Arabian Desert , or Eastern Desert, which lies between the Nile valley and the Red Sea in Egypt; and the Nubian Desert , which is in NE Sudan. </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div> <span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div> </div> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></span><br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Regions of sand dunes (erg) occupy only about 15% of the Sahara; "stone deserts," consisting of plateaus of denuded rock (hammada) or areas of coarse gravel (reg), cover about 70% of the region; mountains, oases, and transition zones account for the remainder. Sparse vegetation is found in most parts of the Sahara, with the exception of the sand dune regions. High mountain massifs rise in the central regions; they are the Ahagger (Hoggar) in S Algeria, which rises to more than 9,000 ft (2,740 m); the Tibesti Massif in N Chad, which rises to more than 11,000 ft (3,350 m); and the Aïr Mountains (Azbine) in N Niger, which rise to more than 6,000 ft (1,830 m). The mountains are deeply dissected and were in the past infamous for the shelter they provided to marauders preying on desert traffic. From west to east the four principal land routes across the desert are from Colomb-Bechar to Dakar; from Colomb-Bechar to Gao and Timbuktu by way of Reganne; from Touggourt to Agadez and Kano by way of In-Salah; and from Tripoli to Ghat.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Climate</b></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. Located in the trade winds belt, the region is subject to winds that are frequently strong and that blow constantly from the northeast between a subtropical high-pressure cell and an equatorial low-pressure cell. As air moves downward from the high-pressure into the low-pressure cell, it becomes warmer and drier. The desiccating and dust-laden winds are sometimes felt north and south of the desert, where they are variously known as sirocco, khamsin, simoom, and harmattan. The northern slopes of the Atlas Mts. intercept most of the moisture from winds blowing inshore from the Mediterranean Sea.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Border zones on the north and south, where the desert merges with the steppe, receive about 10 in. (25 cm) of rain a year with some seasonal regularity, but over most of the region rainfall is sparser, with an average annual total of less than 5 in. (12.7 cm); rainfall is usually torrential when it occurs after long dry periods that sometimes last for years. The region's low relative humidity rarely exceeds 30% and is often in the 4% to 5% range.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Daytime temperatures are high; Azizia, Libya, recorded the world's highest official temperature in the shade (136°F/58°C) in Sept., 1922. Heat loss is rapid at night and a diurnal range of 86°F (30°C) is common. Freezing temperatures are not uncommon at night from December to February.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Water and Other Resources</b></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The Nile and Niger rivers, both fed by rains outside the desert, are the only permanent rivers in the region. Water is present at or just below the surface gravel in wadis (intermittent streams) that radiate from the mountain massifs, in scattered oases where the water table comes to the surface, and at greater depths in huge underground aquifers. The aquifers are believed to be filled with water dating from the Pleistocene epoch, when the Sahara was much wetter than it is today. The more than 20 lakes (called chotts in the north) and areas of salt flats and boggy salt marshes are also considered relics from this pluvial period.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Important discoveries of minerals, oil, and gas have been made in the Sahara. There are huge oil and gas deposits in Algeria and Libya, but in most cases, inaccessibility has delayed exploitation. In searching for oil reserves, underground deposits of water also have been found. Extensive iron ore deposits are worked in the Fort Gouraud area of Mauritania. Salt is still mined, as in the past, at Taoudenni, Mali, and at Bilma, Niger, and is transported, as in the days of the great medieval kingdoms of W Africa, by camel caravans across the desert.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>People</b></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Two thirds of the Sahara's estimated 2 million inhabitants (excluding those in the Nile valley) are concentrated in oases where date palms, fruits, vegetables, grains, and other crops are produced under irrigation. Nomads, with herds of sheep and goats and with camels for transportation, predominate in drier areas and continue to use oases (including modern oases created by the drilling of wells), as in centuries past, for water, trade, and provisioning stops. The principal ethnic groups of the Sahara are the Tuareg (of Berber origin), who dominate the mountains of the central Sahara; the peoples of mixed Berber and Arab origin in W Sahara; and the Tibu (Tébu), who dominate the Tibesti Massif.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>History</b></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The Sahara has undergone a series of wet periods, the most recent occurring c.5,000-10,000 years ago; it was not until c.3000 BC that the Sahara transformed into its present arid state. There is dispute as to whether the desertification of the region has continued into historic time. Those who support this theory contend that increasing aridity is the reason for the recorded advance of desert conditions into areas under cultivation in Roman times in the north and more recently (since the late 1960s) in the south. Opponents of this view explain such changes as being the result of alterations in land-use practices and neglect of water-supply and irrigation systems.</span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The camel was introduced probably in the 1st cent. AD and facilitated occupation by nomads (first the Berbers, later the Arabs), who lived in interdependence with the oasis dwellers, providing protection against enemies in exchange for supplies of food and water. A profitable trans-Saharan trade in gold and slaves from W Africa, salt from the desert, and cloth and other products from the cities on the Mediterranean coast was carried on by the nomads. The first European explorers to travel in the Sahara were Friedrich Horneman in 1805 and Mungo Par</span></div> <span style="font-family: inherit;">k in 1806. Some areas of the Sahara remain virtually unexplored, although a network of air and automobile routes now crosses the desert and links the major oases and mining areas.</span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Source:</u></b></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">See C. Kruger et al., Sahara (tr. 1969); M. Williams and H. Faure, ed., The Sahara and the Nile: Quarternary Environments and Prehistoric Occupation in Northern Africa (1980); J. Cloudsley-Thompson, ed., Key Environments: Sahara Desert (1984); E. Gautier, Sahara (1987).</span></div> </div>

Intro to Morocco Sahara Sahara, brief view

Sahara[Arab.,=desert], world's largest desert, c.3,500,000 sq mi (9,065,000 sq km), N Africa; the western part of a great arid zone th...

...full post