Sidi Chamharouch

Two hours up the Mizane valley from Imlil, on the way to Toubkal, the path reaches a hamlet at about 2,350 metres built round an enormous whitewashed boulder - the shrine of Sidi Chamharouch, associated in tradition with the king of the jinn, and a pilgrimage site of real local importance. People come from across Morocco, often for extended stays, seeking help with mental illness, infertility and possession, and the hamlet has rooms and food for them; sacrifices are made and the boulder is circumambulated. Non-Muslims cannot cross the small bridge to the shrine itself. For walkers it is the halfway stop on the Toubkal route with cafes, mint tea and juice stalls, and it is worth understanding what the place is rather than treating it as a rest point - the people sitting around are not other trekkers.

What's there

• A whitewashed boulder - the shrine itself, associated with the king of the jinn.
• A working pilgrimage - people staying for treatment of illness and affliction.
• The Toubkal halfway point - cafes and juice stalls on the mule trail at 2,350 metres.
• A closed threshold - non-Muslims not crossing the bridge to the shrine.

When to go

May to October, on the way to or from Toubkal. Half a day from Imlil.

Good to know

Non-Muslims cannot approach the shrine. This is a place where people are seeking help with serious illness - photography of them is not acceptable. Prices at the stalls are high for the altitude, which is fair given everything is carried up. Snow closes the trail in winter.

Nearby

Imlil is two hours below; the Toubkal refuges are two hours above.

Key facts