Towns like castles

Draa Valley, Province of Ouarzazate

In the far Moroccan south, beyond the High Atlas mountains, the Draa River stretches into the Sahara desert. As the stream moves out into the ever-drier landscape, it narrows and becomes smaller and smaller. However, the Draa contains enough water to sustain a riverine oasis dominated by date palms for about 100 miles.

In this narrow strip, desert villages, such as you see in the background here, punctuate the landscape. They are often walled, built of adobe, and present a crenellated appearance from a distance. You see one such village in this image. A village fitting this description is called a ksar in North Africa, and they are common to the Sahara from Morocco to Libya.

Other than the date palms, such as those you see in the middle ground here, vegetation is scarce. Fairly common, however, is the acacia tree you see here.