Middle Atlas Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Middle Atlas

• 33.436187-5.2218041 Azrou — a mid-sized city south of Fez and Ifrane in the Ifrane National Park
• 34.043333-5.0033332 Fez — Fez is the former capital of Morocco and one of the oldest and largest medieval cities in the world
• 33.533333-5.1166673 Ifrane — a sleepy and scenic mountain town, home to the prestigious Al-Akhawayn University
• 32.880833-5.0541674 Itzer — Itzer, a small Berber town southeast of Azrou, overlooks a plateau and the Middle and High Atlas Mountains
• 33.883333-5.555 Meknes — a modern, laid-back city that offers a welcome break from the tourist crush of nearby Fez
• 34.05594-5.518326 Moulay Idriss — the holiest city in Morocco and a good place for exploring Volubilis
• 32.68-4.747 Midelt — a town halfway between Fez and the Sahara, in the high mountains
• 33.166667-5.5666678 M'Rirt
• 34.214442-4.0087899 Taza
• 33.196669-5.42111110 Zaouiate Oued Ifrane — a sleepy and extremely scenic Berber village nestled into the Mid-Atlas

• 33.431756-5.1301611 Ifrane National Park — mountain slopes with cedar trees around Azrou and Ifrane populated by Barbary macaques
• 34.0878-5.181112 Moulay Yacoub — a spa resort and takes its name from a 12th-century ruler, who reigned as caliph of the Almohad Caliphate

The Middle Atlas is part of the Atlas mountain range. Its peaks aren't of the same height as the High Atlas and its valleys aren't as secluded. The Middle Atlas is known for its cedar forests and Barbary macaques. To the north of the Middle Atlas lies a vast plain. Morocco has been ruled from this plain for quite some time, first from the Roman city of Volubilis, later from Fez, founded in the 8th century as their capital by the Arab Idrissid dynasty and in the 17th century from Meknes, which was also founded as a capital.

Volubilis, 3 km NW of Moulay Idriss, is one of the main tourist sites to visit in Morocco. It's a partly excavated Roman city with UNESCO World Heritage status, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".