"The first thing I notice when I walk into the oasis is the temperature drop. Then, I hear the birdsong and the rustling of the palm trees. The harsh sun dims and there's water and the smell of damp earth. It's easy to understand why desert travellers yearned to reach these havens and why they have become synonymous with peace."
"You may be imagining some kind of cartoon mirage oasis a sole date palm shimmering above the endless sands. In fact, Skoura has a population of around 3,000 people living in a small town on the edge of the palms with 10 sq miles (25 sq km) of agricultural land. Many visitors to Morocco start in Fez or Marrakech and stop off in Ait Benhaddou, then go down to the Sahara towns of Zagora or Merzouga."
Skoura is a palm-grove oasis with a noticeable temperature drop, birdsong, rustling palms, water and damp-earth scents that create a peaceful atmosphere. The town houses around 3,000 people on the edge of roughly 10 square miles of agricultural land. Skoura sits in the Dades valley on former trans-Sahara trade routes and was founded in the 12th century by Sultan Yaqub al-Mansur. The area thrived on caravan trade for centuries before losing importance; today the region focuses on agriculture and date production and serves as a low-key stop between Marrakech and the Sahara.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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