The Skoura palm grove

             Skoura – A palm grove with Kasbahs of yesteryear and today

Skoura is the first stopover on the 1000 Kasbahs road between Ouarzazate and Tafilalet. According to the legend, it has been founded in the 12th century under the Almohades dynasty.. The palm grove holds its name from the Berber tribe, which was living here at the time, the Haskourene. Since then, different populations have succeeded here, including Arab tribes originating from Tafilalet, making today’s Skoura, an Arab territory on Berber land.

Although Skoura’s «town center» looks very modest, discreet and does not leave a lasting memory nor distinguishes itself from all the little towns bordering the road of the thousands Kasbahs, its vast well cultivated palm grove on the other hand, is very rich in history and famous with ancient restored Kasbahs classified as UNESCO heritage. Skoura can really only be understood throughout its palm grove history. Its very rich salt mines around Toundout, its luxurious flora and its ethnic mixture and renewal, which used to mix Berbers, Jews and Arabs..

One of its oldest inhabitants will pretty soon earn it a new celebrity Tazoudasaurus Naïmi. Its name is already well known by specialists, as he is one of the oldest dinosaurs in the world that lived 180 millions of years ago. He is actually travelling in France for further studies and analysis and will come back home to Morocco in order to certainly become the star of the future «dinosaur road» between Ouarzazate and Demnate in a few years.

Skoura’s palm grove is a real labyrinth of about 50 km2, passable by car, foot or bicycle. Palm trees, olive trees and almond trees can give you some shadow as you walk along the arid paths leading to houses, for some dating from the 17th century.