In the Oasis of Tighmert

Leaving the Goulimime camel market, yesterday - some in a more agreable way than others.  It must be no fun to be goat og sheep in Marocco.  A camel seems to be better treated - maybe because it’s worth roughly 1.000 euros !

Sunday morning - a day off in the Oasis of Tighmert where we find a perfect infrastructure in the middle of nowhere.   There are 700 families totalling around 3.800 people and schooling up to Baccalaureat, ie. Kindergarden, Primary- and Secondary as well as Lycée.  Next to that there are 3 mosques, a dispensnaire (day hospital) and water and electricity.

Morning walk in the oasis and introduction to an elaborate irrigation system.  There are 35 land owners sharing the water which comes from a well at the northern end of the 10 km long Oasis.

Hans went to the end of the oasis and I spoke with ‘Irrigation Master’, Abdul.  We spoke about how old we were and he surprised me by being only 56.  He also told me that at precisely 11:30 he was to  conduct the water flow into the next Alfalfa field (Hans says that Luzerne is Alfalfa in English).

The whole field is fenced by palmtree stems and palm leaves and it takes about five minutes to supply the needed quantity of water before closing the small canal and supply the neighbour field.

The walls are like the ones of the houses - clay and straw or bamboo leaves.  In the houses the walls are painted in oder to ensure water resistency.

 

We are staying with Brahim also known as l’Homme Bleu.