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| Crossing the desert |
Built by the French beside the perennial Ziz River,
the little town of Erfoud is not characterised by the charm of a
centuries-old settlement. It's red sand buildings, however, stand
out in impressive contrast against the surrounding desert, and with
its good hotels, restaurants and a lively souk, it is an excellent
place from which to explore the surrounding landscape of desert
and oases.
In the latter, the people live in fort-settlements
knows as ksour, whose high walls, tightly packed houses and intricate
pattern of paths and alleyways are as beautiful as they are charming.
Made from lime and the red sand of the region, they provided protection
from both marauding nomadic tribes and the scorching sun. Surrounding
these settlements are the large palm groves that have sustained
these communities on the fringe of the desert for centuries. Not
far, the desert offers its own tourist attraction, in the form of
camel rides to the sand dunes of Merzouga.
Cross the Bab el Oued bridge from Erfoud's main
square and follow the track up a steep hill to the military fort
of Borj-Est, which was built as an outpost of the French Army and
was manned by the Foreign Legion. From here, the views across the
entire region are stunning.
The Erg Chebbi is a range of gold-coloured sand
that stretches for about 20 kilometres, some 25 kilometres south-east
of Erfoud. Here, visitors book ahead to make sure of a place in
one of the two dozen or so little café hotels that have sprung
up around the one side of the Erg, a magnificent series of huge
sand dunes whose changing tone in the light of dusk or dawn, draws
a constant stream of romantically-inclined travellers.
As is often the case, the fun is not just in seeing
a special sight, it is also in getting there. Although there is
a good tarred road that leads from Erfoud to the Erg Chebbi, most
visitors prefer to join the convoy of white Land Rovers in which
local guides take them across the desert and through dry river beds
to the sand dunes.
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