Tinjdad...more information

In search of more information on Tinjdad, I stumbled upon the following information, most of which I took out of the blog of a former Tinjdad PCV, Andy. After visiting Tinjdad for a week, I find everything said in its description of the present to be very accurate. Enjoy!

Tinjdad, Morocco
The town of Tinjdad, Morocco is located in Eastern Morocco on the main road from Ouarzazate to Errachidia/Erfoud about forty kilometers past Tinghir. Most of its population consists of Berbers from the Ait Merad tribe, and despite the French and Arab conquests of the Berbers of Morocco, its original culture and language are largely intact as you can quickly observe in their daily activities, primary spoken language, and traditions.

Its History
Originally, Tinjdad consisted of a small desert oasis called Ferkla. Its first inhabitants were nomads, called injda in their native tongue, traveling from the nearby High Atlas Mountains and the Jbel Sarhro mountains. As time passed, more and more of injda built ksars within the Ferkla oasis, making it their permanent home. Generally, each ksar was surrounded by walls with some watchtowers at different points and one or several huge entrances and was made up several houses, a mosque, a place for parties and sometimes an inn. The Ferkla oasis continued to grow and a large marketplace was built in the center of the Asrir ksar, where all of the major trade in the area took place. Within the oasis, there was also a large population of Jews who contributed largely to the craftsmanship and business activities of the area. When the French colonized Morocco, they moved the commercial center of the town to its current location. Post-French colonization, the area was given its present-day name Tinjdad, which in the original Berber dialect of the region means “place of nomads.” The entire Jewish population has since vanished but a significant portion of the population is still of Berber decent and speaks the Berber dialect of Tamazight.

Its Present
Tinjdad is well worth a visit if you happen to be going to the nearby Gorges of Tinghir or Boulmane Dades or if you are on your way to the dunes of Merzouga. Tinjdad is home to 18 intact ksars, a museum, an artifacts crafts gallery, a small art gallery, a unique hotel, and several charming cafes. You can visit several of the ksars on foot, bicycle, or in a car (Asrir, El Korbat, Sat, and Gaardmit are highly recommended). The museum and hotel are inside the El Korbat ksar. The museum primarily exhibits the past and present daily life and culture of the Berbers in the area (in Spanish, French, English, Catalina, and Arabic). The hotel is a top-notch establishment cleverly woven throughout the inside of the ksar’s walls. Zaid’s Gallery contains several old crafts and artifacts from the area and is owned by a local of the same name (he speaks English, French, German, and Arabic). Rachid Bouskri’s art gallery is located near the road to Asrir, and Rachid is a local artist who primarily paints impressionistic and abstract works with the general theme of each work encompassing daily life in Tinjdad (he speaks Tamazight, French, Arabic, and a little English). He is also my host brother, and has been amazingly helpful in getting me settled in and introducing me to the town. The two most notable cafes are Café Panorama and Café Ferkla (Both owners speak French, Arabic, and a little English). While both boast good food, charm, and plenty of tea and coffee, Café Panorama is located on the front edge of town facing Tinghir and has a panoramic view of the surrounding palm oasis and mountains. Café Ferkla is located on the other side of town near the main market, and if you come by on a souk day (Sunday and Wednesday), this area is bustling. For more information, please email any questions or requests to visit_tinjdad@yahoo.com .Tahruets
Before concrete houses came to the small desert villages in Eastern Morocco, most people lived in large mud buildings that were linked together to form ksars. Within these ksars, women could come and go to gather water and attend the fields; however, when a woman left her house, it was normal and expected that she cover most of herself in a shawl/scarf referred to as a tahruet. At first, tahruets were a simple solid black, the color chosen to better absorb heat from the sun. Later on, women began to embroider colorful Berber symbols on the tahruets.
In the towns of Tinejdad and Goulmima and the surrounding villages, the embroidery on tahruets consists of brightly colored ancient Berber symbols, usually coming from modifications of the popular letter Z from the Tamazight alphabet (tifinagh), which has come to stand for Berber pride. There are also a few symbols that represent the moon and the stars, which are very important to the Berber tribes near the Sahara since they are essential for activity and travel in the desert nights. The tahruets of this area are similar because most of the people are descendants of the Ait Merad Berber tribe. In many of the towns and surrounding villages near Rissani and Erfoud, women also wear tahruets; however, they are simpler in nature, usually just a solid black. The women in this area also tend to use the tahruet to cover all but one eye, as they are descendents of the Alawite dynasty (the dynasty of the present-day king Mohamed VI), which tends to be more conservative and more distinctly Arabic. In the other towns and surrounding villages near Merzouga, Rissani, and Aoufous, women again embroider their tahruets with designs, but these vary slightly from those found near Tinejdad and Goulmima, because the women are descendants of the Ait Atta tribe.