Azilal is an ideal starting point for exploring the High Atlas Mountains. The city and its surroundings offer visitors a diverse range of landscapes and a vibrant culture.
A testament to the region's rich history surrounds you. Here, you'll find the fortified earthen silo, used to protect crops during times of scarcity when famine was a real threat. There, you'll find the Taghramt, a complex of fortified structures. And there, you'll find fossilized dinosaurs. During the Mesozoic Era, these enormous reptiles roamed the area around Azilal. Today, the Demnate National Park works to preserve their bones and make them accessible to visitors. Amateur and professional paleontologists alike shouldn't miss the opportunity to visit this remarkable site. The region boasts aesthetic and natural features such as the famous Ouzoud Waterfalls, abundant water resources, rich folklore, and traditional crafts. It is also known as one of the richest areas in the Kingdom in terms of manuscripts and archaeological sites, which, unfortunately, remain neglected.
The region features breathtaking mountainous areas and a dry, healthy climate, attracting many for relaxation and relief from asthma and other ailments. It also possesses historical sites and a significant archaeological heritage, such as Boukmaz Imi N'Ifri in Demnate (70 km west of Azilal) and the Ouzoud Waterfalls (36 km further west), a natural wonder rich in fossils and rock carvings. Furthermore, one of the oldest dinosaur skeletons in the world was discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains, dating back approximately 165 million years. The region is also distinguished by its diverse and beautiful traditional crafts, such as the Bzou weaving, a fabric that the late King Hassan II is said to have favored and chosen as the official traditional dress. This garment became famous, worn during the opening and closing sessions of Parliament each year, with all members of Parliament appearing in the Parliament building wearing the Bzou weaving. The Bzou weaving is particularly associated with the town of Bzou in the Azilal region.
Geography
Location
The Azilal region covers an area of 9,800 km², mostly mountainous terrain spread between the High and Middle Atlas Mountains, with the exception of very few plains in the Tadla and Haouz plains. The Azilal region shares territorial borders with several regions of the Kingdom of Morocco. To the north, it is bordered by the Beni Mellal and Fquih Ben Salah regions (via Bzou - Rfala - Beni Ayatt - Afourar - Timoulilit - Asksi - and Larbaa n'Ait Ouqabli). To the northeast, it is bordered by the Errachidia and Midelt regions (via Tifert n'Ait Hamza - Anargi and part of Zaouiat Ahansal, which meets with the Ait Haddidou tribes known as Imilchil). To the southeast, extending to the southern front, it is bordered by the Ouarzazate region (via a large part of Zaouiat Ahansal - Tabant - Ait Bouli - Ait Tamlil - Ait Oumdis). To the southwest, it is bordered by the Al Haouz region and its capital Marrakech (via part of Ait Oumdis - Sidi Yaacoub - Anzou). Finally, to the west, it is bordered by the Kelaat Es-Sraghna region (via part of Bzou - Foum Jemaa Hantifa - Tanant - Ait Majden - Demnat - Tidili). With this geographical location, the Azilal region occupies a central position within the geographical diversity of the Kingdom of Morocco. It lies at the crossroads between the western and northwestern parts of the country (via the Tadla, Tassaout, and Haouz plains), characterized by predominantly flat, fertile plains and a temperate climate, and the eastern and southeastern parts (via the Ouarzazate plateau), which are predominantly desert with a continental climate. It is also situated between the Middle Atlas Mountains (via Bzou Ait Attab to the borders of Zaouiat Cheikh and Takelft), with their moderate elevations interspersed with semi-flat areas that have yielded forests and agricultural activities, and the High Atlas Mountains (via Demnate, Ait Bouli – the summit of Mount Rat at 3800m, Tabant – the summit of Mount M'Goun at 4068m, to Zaouiat Ahansal), with their towering heights and rugged slopes that make human activity difficult and result in sparse populations.
Climate
The town has a generally continental climate with some seasonal Atlantic influences. In the plains, the weather is hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winter. As you move south and into the mountains, the climate becomes semi-arid, with wet to very cold winters and mild, dry summers.
Administrative Divisions
The Azilal Province comprises 2 urban municipalities and 42 rural municipalities:
Cities
Azilal
Demnate
Rural Municipalities
Tabant Anzou Afourar
Tabroucht Bin El Ouidane Agoudi Nlkhir
Tabia Beni Ayatt Ait Abbas
Taghleft Beni Hassan Ait Bilal
Tamda Noumersid Ibzou Ait Bou Ali
Tanant Foum Jemaa Ait Majden
Taounza Imlil Ait Mzigh
Tadli Fatouaka Isksi Ait M'hamed
Tifert N'Ait Hamza Moulay Issa Ben Idris Ait Ouarda
Tefni Ouaouizeght Ait Oumdis
Tilougit Ououli Ait Ouqbli
Timoulilt Arfala Ait Tagla
Teski Sidi Boukhalef Ait Tamlil
Zaouia Ahansal Sidi Yaakoub Anargui
Demography
According to the results of the 2004 General Population Census, the population of the province Azilal has a population of 504,501, 90% of whom live in rural areas, mostly concentrated near plains and agricultural lands, with density decreasing towards the mountains.
The majority of the region's inhabitants are Amazigh (Berber) and speak Amazigh dialects, with the exception of the inhabitants of the Abzou and Foum Jemaa regions, who are of Arab origin and speak Darija (Moroccan Arabic). This population is of Berber and Arab tribal origin, each branching into confederations and sub-clans, the most important of which are:
Upper Sanhaja: An extension of the migrations of the Greater Sanhaja tribes (the origin of the Almoravid dynasty) and their branches that settled in the southeastern Atlas Mountains of Morocco:
Ait Msad: Ait Issa, Ait M'hamed, Ait Oukdid, Ait Outfarkal
Ait Asri: Ait Abbas, Ait Bouzid
Ait Sakhman: Ait Daoud Ou Ali
Ait Atta Noumalou: Ait Ouazight, Ait Ounir, and the extension of the well-known Ait Atta tribes in the southeastern mountains
Ait Bougmaz, Ait
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