Ourika ValleyKhadija leads our visits to cooperatives and villages and writes the pages about the valley's history, its Amazigh inhabitants, its food and its crafts. She makes sure the visits stay fair for the women and families who welcome our travellers.
Khadija is the person travellers meet when the day is about people rather than landscapes. She introduces them to the women of the cooperatives, to potters and weavers, and to the families who open their homes for lunch.
What she writes about
Khadija writes our pages on the history of the valley, its inhabitants and Amazigh culture, Berber food and the local crafts: argan oil, pottery and rugs. She also covers the Ecomusée Berbère and the aromatic garden, and the ties between them in our page on cooperatives and villages.
How she checks her information
Historical dates and figures on her pages come from published sources, and when sources disagree she says so instead of choosing the most striking number. For daily life and crafts, she writes what she sees in the villages and asks the people concerned before describing their work.
Visit with Khadija
Khadija is one of the guides for the cooperatives and villages tour and the trek and lunch with a Berber family. Tell us when you book if you would like to visit with her.
Articles by this guide
Responsible travel in Ourika
How valley families make a living, the realities of mountain life and simple ways your visit helps without doing harm.
History of the Ourika Valley
Rock engravings, Aghmat, qaids, the 1995 flood and the 2023 earthquake: the valley's story in dated facts.
People and culture of Ourika
Amazigh identity, Tashelhit words, seguias, souks, mint tea and simple etiquette for visiting the villages.
Berber food in the valley
Tagines, clay-oven bread, amlou and mint tea: what to eat in Ourika, how to eat it, and three home recipes.
Women's argan oil cooperative
Watch women crack, grind and knead argan kernels by hand, taste amlou, and learn how to recognise real argan oil.
Pottery and tagines
Roadside workshops, potters at the wheel and plain terracotta tagines: how to choose one that cooks, and how to bring it home.
Berber rugs
Flat weaves, rag rugs and thick wool pile: how to recognise the main types and choose a rug that will last.
Berber Ecomuseum at Tafza
A restored earth tower in Tafza with Amazigh objects, jewellery and old photographs of High Atlas life.
Nectarome aromatic garden
One hectare of aromatic and medicinal plants near Tnine Ourika, with guided visits, workshops and a natural cosmetics shop.
Cooperatives and villages
Argan oil, pottery, rugs, gardens and village life: the local economy of the valley, visited with a guide who knows the people.