Amtoudi

Amtoudi – The Oasis of the Agadirs

Amtoudi is home to one of the oldest and best-preserved granaries—or agadirs, as they are known—in North Africa. It is a Berber village in southern Morocco, set amidst a desert mountain landscape. Situated at the bottom of a canyon, it serves as a sort of oasis at the edge of the desert and is home to around 300 families. The local vegetation includes fig, almond, apricot, olive, and orange trees, as well as palms. The villagers rely primarily on agriculture, cultivating small fields of corn and barley, along with vegetable gardens growing carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and more.

The village features a mosque, two tiny shops, a primary school, and a small town hall. The villagers’ main gathering spot is not a café, as one might expect, but rather the area beneath Amtoudi’s largest orange tree, where there is shelter from the sun.

Indeed, summer temperatures can easily reach 45°C to 50°C, whereas the weather is milder in winter, with temperatures hovering around 20°C. At night, it is delightful to sleep under the open sky, gazing at the stars and shooting stars in the clear, unobstructed air.