Jebel Kissane

Kissane rises to about 1,500 metres directly behind Agdz, where the road from Ouarzazate comes over the Tizi n'Tinififft and drops into the Draa valley, and it is the landmark of the whole upper Draa - a mass of layered rock with steep sides and a long crest that from the town reads as a pyramid and from further down the valley as a wall. The Draa palmeraie begins immediately below it, so the standard view is dark mountain, green palm ribbon, and the ochre kasbahs of Agdz between them. The mountain can be walked, with a guide from the town, on rough routes up the flanks; there is no marked path and no water. Agdz itself has the Kasbah Caid Ali and a large palmeraie behind it, and it is the first stop of substance on the road south from Ouarzazate towards Zagora and M'Hamid.

What you actually see

• A changing shape - a pyramid from Agdz, a long wall from further down the valley.
• Mountain over palms - the Draa palmeraie starting immediately below it.
• Agdz kasbahs - ochre buildings between the mountain and the green.
• Rough walking routes - unmarked lines up the flanks, with a guide from town.

When to go

October to April; morning and evening light on the rock. Half a day.

Honest expectations

There is no marked path up and no water on the mountain - take a guide. Summer heat in the Draa is severe. Agdz has limited accommodation. The mountain is a viewpoint from the road for most visitors.

Nearby

Agdz is at the foot; Zagora is south down the Draa.