Midelt: Apple Growing and History

Midelt combines a long-standing agricultural profile with a history reflected both in settlements along the Oued Outat and in a historic link between the south and the north. For travelers, this combination provides a concrete framework for understanding the place beyond a single event.

Apple Growing and the October Festival

Midelt has long been an important agricultural center. Agriculture is based mainly on growing apple trees, making apple growing a lasting local touchstone. The apple festival in Midelt is held every year in October, adding a recurring event to this agricultural profile. If the festival is a deciding factor in your travel plans, check current local information in advance.

Ksour, Historic Link, and Priory

Before the Protectorate period, Midelt consisted of a series of ksour along the Oued Outat, inhabited mostly by Amazigh people of the Aït Zdeg group. Also before the Protectorate period, Midelt was a strategic passage on the route connecting the center of Sijilmassa in the south with Meknès in the north. The contrast highlights two historical scales: the settlement area along the river and the broader link between the south and the north.

The Cistercian priory Prieuré N.-D. de l’Atlas is also located in Midelt. This religious landmark adds another specifically named place to the agricultural and historical themes.

Khenifra Province: Regional Natural and Cultural Context

The broader destination of Khenifra Province expands the picture to include themes at the provincial level. Khénifra National Park opened in 2008 and covers 93,000 hectares. Its vegetation includes Morocco’s largest cedar forest formation, as well as stands of holm oak, Zeen oak, and maritime pine. Fifty percent of Morocco’s cedar trees grow in Khenifra Province; this forest is protected by Khénifra National Park.

Within the national park, forest formations alternate with open, treeless areas and wet meadows. In spring, the wet meadows turn into true meadowlands. Juniper and hawthorn grow in the open areas.

Khenifra Province’s history also has several points of reference. The Kasbah Moha ou Hammou Zayani in Khenifra Province is attributed to the reign of the Almoravid Sultan Ibn Tachfine; the dating is uncertain. The Kasbah Adekhssal in the village of the same name served as a military fortress for the Almoravids in the region. The tomb of resistance fighter Moha ou Hammou Zayani is located in the village of Tamlakt in Khenifra Province.

The lakes Aguelmane Aziza, Tiguelmamine, Ouiouane, and Aguelmane Abakhane, along with rivers flowing into the Oued Oum Errabia and its tributaries, form a network of areas for river and lake fishing trips in Khenifra Province.

Discover more destinations: Ain Taoujdate, Hassilabied, Asrir, Seba Ayoun, El Hajeb, Agoudal, Tafraoute Sidi Ali, Haroun

For the broader travel overview: Meknès-Tafilalet.