The great Oasis of Skoura and its incredible Kasbah Amridil are a few distance from another gem of Morocco. I wrote an article about it and I’m talking about the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou.
Moving on towards the Dades valleys (and then to the Dades Gorges and Todra Gorges) you will come across this town. To tell the truth, it has nothing special except that a part of Skoura is a natural oasis.
Discover Skoura and the Oasis
I discovered this little piece of Moroccan paradise thanks to Reda, the manager of the hotel where I stayed, the Espace Kasbah Amridil. (Look at the photo, I really suggest you to book a night). Yeah, that’s right, right next to the Kasbah Amridil. It’s a wonderful place where to sleep and where in the evening you will feel like you’re in a thousand and one night movie.
The hotel is just outside of what is called the Skoura Oasis.
The oasis
This area is supplied by three rivers, which were once overflowing with water and the vegetation was even thicker. However, nowadays there is no water at all and the riverbed is completely dry. So much so that you can clearly see the off-road tracks that connect the various parts of the Oasis. Reda took me for a panoramic tour and explained some things like, for example, that all their livelihood is due to the local production. Sometimes the products are traded, people who have a vegetable product trade it for an animal one. Life flows slowly according to the rhythms of nature.
And it follows them so much that, paradoxically, when the rains are heavy, the great rivers that surround the oasis of Skoura fill up and crossing them is practically impossible until the level of the river decreases. The Kasbah Amridil area, as well as other parts of the oasis, is isolated from the rest of the country for several days.
In 2017 this situation sounds completely out of this world and it is exactly so.
Visiting the Amridil Kasbah is one of the things to include in an itinerary in Morocco, it is a very structured and interesting kasbah. Just consider that until recently it was the background of the 50 dirham bill.
If you are staying in the Espace Kasbah Amridil remember to ask Reda to escort you to the oasis. It will be a very pleasant tour and you will discover a little more about the life of the Moroccans. This is clearly not the same as that of the citizens of Marrakech.