The last part of our Marrakech adventure took us into the nearby
Atlas Mountains. Shortly after you leave the city, you find yourself in a
beautiful wild rural landscape, another world.
A stork's nest.. I was so excited to see it
On
the way to the mountains you come past Tahannaout, where a couple of
women's cooperatives alongside the road specialize in traditional Argan
Oil production. Argan oil is famous and prized because of its remarkably
high levels of Vitamin E, fatty acids and antioxidents, and can be used
as a cosmetic as well as a food. The cooperatives provide local Berber
women with opportunities, work and fair wages.
Producing
Argan oil is an extremely labor-intensive process. At first the dried
Argan fruits (below left) which come from south western Morocco, have to
be cracked open so that the kernels within (below right) can be
harvested.
These kernels contain the precious oil-rich Argan seeds. To extract the seeds, the kernels are placed on a stone anvil and smashed with a rock until they crack open.
What
appears to be quite easy is much harder than you think... Argan kernels
are about sixteen times harder than hazel nuts. I had to try about two
dozen times before I managed to open a single one.
The
precious seeds are painstakingly earned... on average, a woman can
produce 1-1.5 kg of seeds per day, which is about half the amount needed
to make 1 litre of oil
The kernels are then ground to a paste, using a handstone and quern
The paste is then kneaded by hand to extract the oil. It takes 100 kg of Argan fruit and several days of work to
produce 1litre of Argan Oil.
As
we move on up the mountains, there is soon little else around except
for the occasional Berber village perched on top of a hill
the scenery becomes more and more extraordinary and timeless the further we go
And then we arrive at a real oasis... the magical and indescribably beautiful Kasbah Tamadot
In
Berber, Kasbah means 'fortress' and 'Tamadot' means 'soft breeze'. The
beauty of the surroundings, the warm hospitality and generous esprit
with which it is run, the exquisite decor and relaxed comfort it
provides, and the sweetness and friendliness of the people from the
neighbouring Berber villages who come and work here makes the Kasbah
Tamadot one of the most entrancing places I've stayed, and I very much
hope to come back to it one day.
Breakfast treats for Amber and Pearl, the Kasbah's young pet dromedaries
Takarkourte Woman's Argan Oil Cooperative, 33.5 km, Province du Haouz, Tahanaout 40 000 Morocco
Kasbah Tamadot: 042150 Morocco www.virginlimitededition.com/en/kasbah-tamadot
My Marrakech album on Pinterest : www.pinterest.com/MaiTaiCollection/Marrakech
~ End of the Marrakech travelogue ~
