Agdz District

Agdz

View of Draa Valley from Agdz
From Richard Allaway Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Agdz is a military town that once had a sizeable Jewish population.  It is the starting point for a visit to the fortified villages (kasbahs) heading southeast.

El Hara (Tamnougalt)

El Hara Mellah
El Hara Buildings
Interior of El Hara Synagogue

Three kilometers south of Agdz begins the tourist route of Mezguita containing dozens of kasbahs. The first kasbah on the dirt road is El Hara, the Jewish quarter of the town of Tamnougalt.  Towering above it is the kasbah of Caid Ali, a despotic Amazigh ruler during the times of the French.  This large Jewish community engaged in agriculture as well as the traditional Jewish occupations of metalwork and commerce.  Much of the mellah is deserted. It includes the remains of a synagogue. 

Timesla

Timesla Mellah
Timesla Synagogue Entrance
Timesla Synagogue

Timesla is a kasbah where several dozen Jewish families lived among the black Haratine population.  A small bridge leads to the village about 15 kilometers south of the road to Errachidia.  The small synagogue is in disrepair.