On the road from Guelmim to Zagora paralleling the Draa River is the desert port of Akka, one of the major transit points for the caravan trade. This oasis full of date palms hosts the first tower built by the 11th century Almoravides dynasty upon their arrival from Mauritania. Sultans from this dynasty ruled Morocco and Spain until the mid-12th century, when they were replaced by the Almohades. The Akka tower was the model for the Koutoubia tower of Marrakesh, as well as the Hassan tower in Rabat and the Giralda tower in Seville, Spain.
The Jewish community lived in the mellah of Tagadirt, about 4 kilometers north of the shrine of Sidi Abdallah Embarek on the Foum El Hasn road. The synagogue is in bad condition, but a former Jewish home remains. The Jewish cemetery is unique in Morocco, because the tombs are marked only by piles of large stones.
