Bzou
| Bzou بزو ⴱⵣⴻ |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
|
||||
| Region : | Béni Mellal-Khénifra | ||||
| Province : | Azilal | ||||
| Coordinates | 32 ° 6 ′ N , 7 ° 3 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 4,202 (2014) | ||||
| Height : | 420 m | ||||
 |
|||||
Bzou ( Arabic بزو; Central Atlas Tamazight ⴱⵣⴻ ) is a place inhabited by Berbers on the northern edge of the Middle Atlas with approx. 4,000 inhabitants; it is also the capital of a rural community (commune rurale) with about 14,500 inhabitants in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region in Morocco .
Toponym
Allegedly the place name derives from the Tamazight word stem lbz , which is associated with textile processing activities (spinning, weaving); but there is also the derivation of the words bou and ouzzou , which mean something like "path in the gardens".
location
Bzou is located on the northwest slope of the Middle Atlas about halfway between Marrakech (approx. 137 km driving distance) in the south-west and Kasba Tadla (approx. 110 km) in the northeast at an altitude of approx. 400 to 420 m . The climate is warm to hot in summer and extremely little rain; in winter and on clear nights, temperatures can drop below 0 ° C; Rain (approx. 350 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter months.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | k. A. | 4,323 | 4,202 |
Bzou belongs to the settlement area of the Masmuda- Berber. Like many places in the Middle Atlas, Bzou has experienced the migration of some of the inhabitants to the larger cities since the second half of the 20th century.
economy
Until the 20th century, the inhabitants of Bzou lived largely self-sufficient on the meager yields from their small fields (barley), from tree fruits (olives, figs, walnuts, etc.) and from a little cattle breeding (chickens, sheep, goats). Today the place is known throughout Morocco for its fine fabrics, from which mainly light djellabas and festive garments are made.
history
As early as 1400, the historian Ibn Chaldūn described the place or region, which he called N'tifat . The trade was largely in the hands of the numerous local Jews. In the 16th century, Leo Africanus described the place and its inhabitants in an almost idyllic way. There are no more reports from a later period.
Attractions
- The largely car-free townscape with its old houses made of natural stone and earth is one of the nicer ones in Morocco - despite the increasing number of new concrete buildings.
- Some of the residents let themselves be watched weaving for a tip ( baksheesh ).