The abandoned lead mines

Parking for the Night – Moulouya reservoir

After we had left the snowy heights, we took a gravel route to the Moulouya reservoir with the Atlas mountains in the background, where we spent the night. The next morning we drove to Ahouli, to explore the valley of the mines.

Abandoned mine shaft – 80m deep

We first reached an abandoned village for the workers of the mines, which lies above the valley. There were rows of houses and a mosque. The houses were not only abandoned but had been destroyed, the mosque seemed to be still used for prayers.

Washing area of the mosque

The Ahouli Mines have a rich history as a hub of mineral production. The French company Penarroya initiated the mining operations in 1927. From 1928 to the 1960s, these mines yielded tens of thousands of tons of lead annually, employing hundreds of workers who extracted resources from dynamite-blasted tunnels—an industrial technique now banned in Morocco.

Today, freelance miners work probably illegal in the tunnels to recover lead, zinc, fluorite, and quartz using rudimentary mining tools. In the valley, all the houses had doors to protect them from floods.

In the area around Midelt, we saw the rubbish flying through the landscape for the first time in Morocco. Hopefully this is something we will not encounter too often.

Midelt

We went to the municipal camping of Midelt, where we spent a sunny afternoon with working and planing the oncoming days. Tomorrow, we will reach the desert. The first off-road adventure awaits us!

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