Doukkala Information & Doukkala Links at HealthHaven.com

The "Green Mountain", the only visible hill, east of the region

A "tazota", typical old architecture only found in the region

Warar, a natural temporary lake, in 2008, flooding a house built in the 1970s

Modern building at Sidi Bennour, now the biggest municipality of the area

"Sahel" sub-region, with "anticline climbing" road

Doukkala (arabic "دكالة", plural in French les Doukkala, ) is a natural region of Morocco, included in the province of El Jadida and in the Abda-Doukkala administrative region.

It is a plain going from the Atlantic Ocean, south of Oum Er-Rbia River up to some 50 km further southward and the same distance eastward, inside the country.

Main municipalities are Sidi Smail, Sidi Bennour, Had Ouled Frej and Khemis Zemamra. Sidi Bennour is the fastest developing center of the four.

It is mainly an agricultural region, with few touristic attractions.

[edit] History

Historically, "Doukkala" was referred to as a berberic tribe which occupied a large territory, from Anfa (Casablanca) to Massa and Taroudant. But they revolted against Almohad kings in the 12th century. About 1160, the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min settled there arabic tribes. ^[1]

Since the 16th century, the name "Doukkala" is no longer used for a tribe, but for a natural region.

During the Portuguese occupation of Mazagan (El Jadida), province of Doukkala was included in the territories under the Portuguese empire. This went so far as the hamlet of «Guérando», three km ahead Jmaa Mtal. ^[2]

The name of a typical "stone-only" building "tazotas" or "cazotas" probably comes from this period.

At the end of the French protectorate (ca 1950), there lived in Doukkala 372,269 Muslims, 2,680 Europeans and 3,933 Jews. ^[3]

[edit] Geography

Doukkala is divided in three sub-regions, parallel to the seacoast.

The "Oulja", along the beach, with garden-crops.
The "Sahel", some 20 km inside, a stony region, only suiting to sheep breeding.
The rich plain, with wheat, sugar beets, and intensive cattle breeding.

The only mountain to be seen is "Jbel Lakhdar", at the border with the plain of Rahamna.

The plain is subject to flooding. "Warar", a temporary natural lake between Sidi Bennour and Arbaa Od Aamran only fills in rainy years. Its largest surface was noted in 1916, 1966 and 2008.