More than 20 years after the French colonization of Morocco began, the region of Erfoud was put under control, and Morocco was considered pacified. To control the forceful and freedom-loving bedouins of the region, a major military settlement was put up, and this place came to be known as Erfoud.
A rare view in Sahara: A streaming river — this photo was taken in January 1997, following the first rainy season for years.
Erfoud is not a typical tourist destination, but a good number of travellers from all over the world fill the streets almost all through the year. Erfoud can work as a good base for people exploring the Ziz valley, and the dunes out at Merzouga (finally something in Morocco that really fits the image of Sahara!). But the city itself, housing less than 10,000, is a place of hustling, but not more than any traveller making it as far as the Ziz would be able to handle.
