The Draa (Berber languages: Asif en Dra, ⴰⵙⵉⴼ ⴻⵏ ⴷⵔⴰ, Moroccan Arabic: واد درعة, romanized: wad dərʿa; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara, Latin: Darat) is Morocco's longest river, at 1,100 kilometres (680 mi). It is formed by the confluence of the Dadès River and Imini River. It flows from the High Atlas mountains, initially south-eastward to Tagounite, and from Tagounite mostly westwards to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean somewhat north of Tan-Tan. In 1971, the (El) Mansour Eddahabi dam was constructed to service the regional capital of Ouarzazate and to regulate the flow of the Draa. Most of the year the part of the Draa after Tagounite falls dry.

In the first half of the 20th century, the lowest course of the Draa marked the boundary between the French protectorate of Morocco and the area under Spanish rule.

The valley contains the Fezouata formations, which are Burgess shale-type deposits dating to the Lower Ordovician, filling an important preservational window between the common Cambrian lagerstätten and the Late Ordovician Soom shale. In the fossilized fauna were numerous organisms previously thought to have died out after the mid-Cambrian.

History

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Prehistory

Human occupation in the Draa valley and adjacent mountains dates at least to the Lower Paleolithic, as attested by Oldowan and Acheulean tools found near Tamegroute. Middle Paleolithic sites are widespread.

Neolithic-era rock art can be found throughout the Draa valley, depicting hunting scenes as well as domesticated cattle. The chronology of these sites is uncertain, but the earliest may date to the 3rd millennium BCE.

Before 1054

The Draa River was also well known to the ancient Romans. It figures on the first world map in history made by Ptolemy (90-168 AD).

Wattasids

During the reign of the Wattasid Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Askia Ishaq I of the Songhai Empire sent Tuareg raiders into the Draa valley to avenge a diplomatic insult where Morocco had demanded the cession of the valuable Taghaza salt mine.

Saadi

Alaouites

Four of the sons of Ismail Ibn Sharif have been khalifa of the Draa:

• Mulay Muhammad as-Sharif bin Ismail as-Samin (s/o full-brother of Muhammad al-Alam). Khalifa of the Draa 1703.
• Mulay 'Abdu'l-Malik bin Ismail as-Samin. b. ca. 1677. Khalifa of the Draa. He was k. for plotting against his father, 1696.
• Mulay Nasir bin Ismail as-Samin. Khalifa of Draa 1702-1703, and of Tafilalt. Rebelled in 1711-1712. He was k. 1714.
• H.M. Sultan 'Abu Marwan Mulay 'Abdu'l Malik, Sultan of Morocco, etc. b. at Meknes, after 1696, son of H.M. Sultan 'Abul Nasir Mulay Ismail as-Samin bin Sharif, Sultan of Morocco, educ. privately. Khalifa of the Draa 1701-1703, and of Sus 1717-1718. Proclaimed Sultan on the deposition of his elder half-brother 13 March 1728. Deposed at Meknes 18 July 1728. Fled to Fez and arrested there 23 December 1728. He was k. (executed) at Meknes, 2 March 1729 (bur. there at the Mulay Ismail Mausoleum).==May 2024==

Language

Two languages are spoken in the area: a local variety of Colloquial Arabic which is closely related to Hassaniya, and Shilha or Tashelhiyt, a Berber language.

Oases

The Upper Draa River valley, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) long, consists of six stretches of oases/palm groves from north to south:

• The Mezguita oasis, with the Agdz and Auriz and south of it the Tamsikht dam
• The oasis of Tinzouline, with Ouled Lagraier, Tinzouline, Ouled Yaoub and a dam south of it
• The Ternata oasis with Zagora
• The Fezouata oasis with Tamegroute and south of it the Azagha dam
• The Ktaoua oasis (English Ktawa) with Tagounite, Blida, Tiraf and the Bounou dam south of it
• The oasis of Mhamid el Ghuzlan with Mhamid el Ghuzlan

Ksour

in the Mezguita

Ait Abdalah Ait Hammou Ou Said* Ait Lahcen Ait Ouahi El Hart Irherrhar Tamkasselt Tiguit Zaouit Boulhassane Asselim Rbat Tarmast

Zaouit n Griourirane Aboussas Ait Ali Ait El Caid El Mir Aouriz Asselim Izdar El Hara Ikherazen Irhrem Azougarth Tafergalt Takatert Talat

Talemzit Tamnougalt* Taourirt Caid Ali Zaouit n Sidi Bou Mediane Zaouit n Souk Ait El Kharj Jdid Ait El Kharj Lkdim Aramd El Borj Igamoudene Roudat Tassoukt

in Tinzouline

Akhellouf Ez Zourgane Bounana Ed Dwairat

Oulad El Megddam Oulad Moussa Timasla

Zaouit Timaslas Ighrem Tansikht Zaouit Ikhf n Ouzrou

in Ternata

Beni Khlil* Mansouria

Tiguit Nait Boulman Tissergat*

Amezrou

in the Fezouata

Agni Agrour Ait Aissa ou Brahim

Ait Beloualid Ait Bou Lkhlad Arhla ou Drar

Asrir Nignaoune Kasbah Il Mechane Izkhnnioun

in the Ktaoua/Ktwawa

This is the southern stretch of the valley between the Azagha and the Bounou dam near Tagounite. There are 55 villages, mostly consisting of ksour (plural of ksar):

Centre Tagounite Bani Sbih Zaouia Sidi Salah Nesrate Kser Tiraf Ait Gazzou Bani Hayoune Ouled Amer Knazta Tabourite Bani Mhamed Khassouane Adouafil Zaouia Jdid Zrahna Ait Rbaa Gourguir Kasbat Aamamou Bani Semguine Ksar Hammad Tahr

Ouled Youssef Drawa Loughlade Ouled Ali Regba Bani Hnit Zaouia Moulay Chrif Tahtania Blida centre Ksebt Ramla Takchourte Ksar Bani Mhammed Ksar Lakbir Ksar Jdid Zrahna Ksar Jdid Ignaoun Bani Skouken Zte. Sidi Yahya Ait Ali Ignaoun Zaouia Moulay Chrif Foukania Zaouia Koudia

Taarchate Ait Boutbratine Zaouia Lansar Zaouia Dakhlania Zhahna Ait Zemrou Ksebat Nani Ksar Aarib Ouled Youssef Ait Isfoul Zaouia Sidi Madani Zaouia Dakhlania Ait Talaarifte Ait Aissa Obrahim Najia Ksar Ait Rardi Ait Boumhamed Ikddarne Tahramet Bnou Khettal

Source : Recensement général du Maroc, 1994 (Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat (RGPH, Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc (HCP), septembre 1994)).

Exploration

The Draa has attracted the attention of a number of notable explorers including Frenchman Charles de Foucauld who travelled throughout Morocco disguised as a Jewish merchant in the 1800s, and Jeffrey Tayler who wrote a book about his experiences.