Lovers of the beautiful shapes drawn by the Atlas mountains, you will love Lalla Takerkoust’s blue dress. An artificial lake, which attracts many tourists who come to escape the stifling heat of Marrakech. Getaway.
Lalla Takerkoust, one of the oldest dams in Morocco, is located regarding forty kilometers from Marrakech, in the province of Al Haouz. The place is loaded with legends. Nowadays, the place is very popular with tourists who come to escape the stifling heat of the ocher city, to marvel at the breathtaking view.
Through steep roads, taking the road to Amizmiz, looms Lalla Takerkoust. Around the lake, many guest houses, hotels face the green landscapes. In the middle of nature, the pure air makes you euphoric. The snow-capped Atlas Mountains loom on the horizon, many tourists sip a drink and chat. The change of scenery is guaranteed. Absolute calm reigns in the place and inspires inner peace. On average, temperatures hover around 20 degrees, but in summer the heat can push the thermometer up to 42 degrees. The semi-arid climate of the region has given rise to palm trees and prickly pears which populate the surroundings.
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Lalla Takerkoust. / Ph. DR
The Pourcel brothers, French starred chefs described the place with great lyricism: “It is the striking contrast of the landscapes that makes this region so interesting, from the gates of the desert to the green valleys of the Ourika, from the hills from the Middle Atlas to the snow-capped peaks, all the landscapes follow one another. And the closer you get to the Atlas, the more you have the impression that these lands of Morocco escape you, that they are inaccessible”, read on their blog.
The magical setting would almost make you forget the genesis of this lake. Lalla Takerkoust is the third dam the oldest in Morocco on the Oued N’fis, commissioned in 1935 during the French protectorate. At the time, the dam bore the name of the French engineer who built it: Barrage Cavagnac.
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A period photo of Lalla Takerkoust. / Ph. Review “Salam Marrakech” (number 61 / year 1999)
Lalla Takerkoust, the protector
Later, the lake took the name of Lalla Takerkoust: a protective marregarding of the place, who is buried there. According to legend, before the construction of the lake, women made offerings to it to be fertile, to have children, especially boys. The dam was built on the site of the marregarding and the Lalla Takerkoust mosque.
The name also refers to a water point upstream of the mountain. Many people equate it with a passage from the Koran, that of the sleepers of the Surah of the Cave (“Al Kahf”). The Sura recounts the epic of people who were plunged into a mystical slumber following being immured in a cave by pagan despots. This story has been the subject of many popular interpretations. In Amizmiz, there are seven tombs lined up next to Lalla Takerkoust, reminiscent of the sleepers of Surah “Al Kahf”. Some patients move there to take advantage of the therapeutic effects of the source.
The region has no shortage of activities, for all tastes and profiles. Athletes can go pedal boating, windsurfing, rowing, canoeing and kayaking at affordable prices. Adventurers can take excursions on quads or motorbikes to discover the surrounding countryside. For the laziest, lovers of idleness, nothing beats a nap in the sun. Thanks to Lalla Takerkoust, there is no doubt that your sleep will be rich in dreams.
