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From Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, across the Atlas mountain range via the Tizin’nTichka pass at an altitude of 2269 meters above sea level, brilliant landscape views dotted with Berber villages.The Atlas range provides Morocco’s spine. The peaks are amongst the highest in Africa, and there’s even a ski resort tucked away amongst them. The mountains also separate the relatively fertile coastal half Morocco from the Sahara desert. And crossing the Atlas is a journey from olive groves and orange trees to outback.The distance from Marrakech to Ouarzazate is only 200km (125 miles), but the drive between the two cities takes at least four hours

Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica)

Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica)

Completed in 1936 by the

Foreign Legion, the Tizi-n-Tichka

route runs through the full range of Atlas environments,

from the Haouz plains, through

the verdant foothills of the

Oued Zat, to the barren peaks of

the Atlas and the arid regions

around Ouarzazate

It’s often the man-made

additions that stun as much as

nature’s handiwork.

Periodically, the road passes small Berber

villages, where the houses are

made out of earth and seem like

natural extensions of the mountainside. It’s

the sort of blending that

modern architects would do well to

learn from

You will find lots of faux "fossils" &

"minerals" at regular intervals from roadside

vendors

At the top of the Tichka Pass, there is often snow – particularly in the winter months. The landscape is a largely barren, sandy yellow. This is the edge of the mighty Sahara desert, and rocky mesas line the horizon.

Sound: AZA - Marikan - Sidi Daoud 2017

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet slide 9, 10, 11Copyright: All the images belong to their author

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela