Taourirt
| Taourirt تاوريرت ⵜⴰⵡⵔⵉⵔⵜ |
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| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Oriental | ||||
| Province : | Taourirt | ||||
| Coordinates | 34 ° 25 ′ N , 2 ° 54 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 103,398 (2014) | ||||
| Area : | 17.2 km² | ||||
| Population density : | 6,012 inhabitants per km² | ||||
| Height : | 420 m | ||||
Taourirt or Tawrirt (from the mazirischen ⵜⴰⵡⵔⵉⵔⵜ Tawrirt , "hill", Arabic تاوريرت) is a Moroccan city in the Oriental region . It is the capital of the province of the same name .
location
Taourirt is located on the Oued Za in northeastern Morocco on the route Fès - Taza - Guercif - Oujda in a hilly to mountainous area about 400 to 450 m . The climate is semi-desert; Rain (approx. 220 mm / year) - apart from a few summer thunderstorms - actually only falls in the winter months.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | 57,956 | 80.024 | 103,398 |
Over 90% of the population are of Berber descent and have migrated from their traditional home areas to the cities ( rural exodus) since the 1970s for climatic (drought) or socio-cultural (lack of opportunities) reasons in order to find work there and earn a living for their families. Until the 1950s, the small market town only had about 3,000 inhabitants. The Arab population makes up only a few percent of the total population, but occupies leading positions in business and administration as well as in health and education. One speaks Berber dialects or Moroccan Arabic .
economy
For centuries, the region was mainly a nomadic or semi-nomadic area, but it was not until the 20th century that sedentarism largely established itself. In the area there were some ore mines - now closed - in which iron , zinc , fluorine and lead were extracted. Irrigation projects along the Moulouya and Za rivers have more than doubled the arable area in the last decades of the 20th century. The importance of the city has also increased through the creation of the Taourirt Province (1999). National or international tourism plays no role in economic life.
history
As in most of Morocco's Berber areas, there are no records of the history of the region and city. It is known, however, that a not insignificant town with the name Za must have been located nearby , which was renamed Taourirt after its conquest by the Merinids in the 13th century. The Alaouites built a fortress ( kasbah ) on a hill above the settlement , but in the 19th century it was converted into a storage building by the Berber tribes of Kerarma and Ahlaf who lived here . During the French colonial period , other tribes - initially in tents - settled in the area.
Attractions
Apart from the surrounding landscape, the city has no historical or cultural attractions. The old fortress ( kasbah ) on a hill has been converted into a non-accessible transmitter.
