Tinmel, Targa and the High Atlas villages most affected by the earthquake
The province of Haouz was one of the worst hit by the earthquake that struck part of Morocco last Friday, killing more than 2,900 people.
The catastrophe has hit the High Atlas Mountains in particular, a region where small local communities that base their livelihoods on livestock farming and tourism are located.
According to reports from Telquel, in the village of Targa, which had fifty houses typical of the area around a mosque, the damage was considerable, to the point that practically none of them were left standing and many residents were crushed to death by the rubble. Their bodies have not yet been recovered.
Survivors are trying to recover some of their belongings from the rubble as they wait for help to arrive in this remote part of the Atlas Mountains. Their situation has been aggravated by the fact that part of their livelihood depends on livestock, which has also been severely damaged by the earthquake.
In addition, the road linking this village to Ijoukak, which runs through very rough terrain, has been severely damaged.
Tinmel
Of the High Atlas villages affected, Tinmel is probably the best known. Located about 100 km from Marrakesh, it was the cradle of the Almohad Berber empire and its headquarters during the campaign against the Almoravids in the 12th century.
After the capture of Marrakesh (1147), Tinmel became the spiritual capital of the Almohad caliphate. Its mosque, built in 1156 to honour the memory of Caliph Muhammad Ibn Tumart, was severely damaged in the earthquake of 8 September and only a few walls remain standing.
The Moroccan Ministry of Culture has already announced that a delegation of experts will visit the ruins to assess the possibilities for restoration. In fact, before the earthquake, a team of restorers was working on the mosque, in an 18-month project that was barely six months away from completion.
These workers have now joined local volunteers in digging out the many victims in the locality from the rubble.
The asphalt road leading to Tinmel has been covered with rocks from the landslides in the neighbouring mountains.
Talat N'Yaâkoub
The worst affected locality in the province of Haouz was Talat N'Yaâkoub, a small town which saw houses, schools, shops, administrative buildings, the petrol station... demolished by the earthquake.
It is here that the Royal Armed Forces and the Royal Gendarmerie have set up their base of operations. Tankers, military vehicles, ambulances, helicopters, etc. have all arrived here.
From this centre, the rescue and evacuation of the wounded from the town and nearby villages is being coordinated. The army and the Gendarmerie are distributing tents among those affected to serve as emergency shelter, given the impossibility of re-inhabiting the few buildings that are still standing, due to the danger of collapse.