Iche (Morocco)
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| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Oriental | ||||
| Province : | Figuig | ||||
| Coordinates | 32 ° 31 ′ N , 1 ° 0 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 1,000 | ||||
| Height : | 1200 m | ||||
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Iche (also Ich or Yich ; Zentralatlas-Tamazight ⵉⵛ Ic ) is a mountain oasis with around 1,000 inhabitants in the Figuig province in the Oriental region in the extreme south-east of Morocco . The border with neighboring Algeria, which is less than 500 m to the east in places , has been closed for years.
Location and climate
The various villages (ksour) of Iche are located at the foot of an oasis landscape surrounded by mountains and criss-crossed by small irrigation canals about 50 km (as the crow flies) but a good 155 km (driving distance) north of the oasis town of Figuig and a good 100 km east of Bouarfa at an altitude of approx. 1200 m . The climate is dry and hot; the extremely sparse precipitation (approx. 170 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.
population
Most of the residents are of Arab origin from the Beni Guil tribe . Colloquial languages are Tarifit and Moroccan Arabic .
Economy and history
As rock carvings in the area testify, hunters and gatherers roamed this area around 4,000 to 6,000 years ago . Around 1000 to 2000 years ago nomadic tribes came from Arabia, but the extremely barren landscape today only allows very restrained grazing by sheep and goats. Barley and / or some vegetables (beans, onions) are still grown on small irrigated plots , but these days these are often bought cheaper at the markets in Figuig and Bouarfa. Tourism hardly plays a role.
Attractions
- The impression of the mountains with their small ponds ( gueltas ) and rivulets combined with the almost absolute silence of the surrounding landscape can be overwhelming.
- The oasis landscape is formed by date palms and small, irrigated fields that are only cultivated in spring.
- The old houses, built exclusively on rocky subsoil, are made of small stones with very little soil as a stabilizing and insulating aid. Newer houses are made of hollow blocks and plastered.
- The carved rock carvings show animals and other, often abstract, geometric objects as they can be found in other places in the region around Figuig.