Ksar el-Khorbat

Ksar el-Khorbat is a walled village of the nineteenth century in the Ferkla oasis near Tinejdad - packed earth, a single gate, covered lanes, a mosque, a communal granary and a defensive perimeter with corner towers, the standard form of the fortified oasis settlement. What distinguishes it is what has happened to it: rather than being abandoned as families moved to concrete houses outside, or bought and restored by an outside investor, part of it was restored by residents and returning family members who set up a guesthouse and a museum inside the walls. The Museum of Oasis Life covers the water system, agriculture, crafts, jewellery, the social organisation of the ksar and the communities that lived in it, including the Jewish families of the district. Restoration used traditional earth building rather than cement, which is the technically interesting part and is explained.

What you actually see

• A nineteenth-century ksar - one gate, covered lanes, granary and corner towers.
• Restoration by residents - repaired by families rather than by outside investment.
• A museum of oasis life - water, farming, crafts and the social order of the ksar.
• Earth building, not cement - traditional technique used in the repair and explained.

When to go

October to April. An hour or two.

Honest expectations

Part of the ksar is still ruinous and not all of it is open. The museum is small. Entry is charged. Summer heat in the Ferkla is severe.

Nearby

Tinejdad is on the road; Todra gorge is west and the Tafilalt east.