Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbi (Arabic: عرق الشبي; Berber languages: ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴱⵉ) is one of Morocco's several ergs – large seas of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. There are several other ergs such as Erg Chigaga near M'hamid.
Erg Chebbi
عرق الشبي ⴻⵔⴳ ⵛⴱⵉ | |
|---|---|
 Landscape of the Erg Chebbi at sunset | |
 Two people atop one of the main dunes | |
| Coordinates: 31°10′N 03°59′W | |
| Country | Morocco |
| Elevation | 730 m (2,400 ft) |
Description
In places, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise to 150 meters from the surrounding hamada (rocky desert) and altogether it spans an area of 28 kilometers from north to south and up to 5–7 kilometers from east to west lining the Algerian border.[1] It is not part of the Sahara desert , nor within 100's of kilometers from the Sahara. Which starts just over the border in Algeria. When looking at the map you can see the circular Erg with its dunes. These are river deposits and not connected to the Great Sahara desert is any way.
Erg Chebbi dunes are famous for their great height and size; they can rise up to one hundred fifty meters high in some places, are twenty-two kilometers long, and five kilometers wide.
The nearest sizable town is Erfoud, about 60 kilometers further north. One other city is Rissani, around 40 kilometers from Merzouga. Rissani was the site of a kingdom known as Sijilmassa, which became prosperous from the 8th to the 14th century due to its control of the caravan routes.
Although rainfall is not very common, in 2006 flooding adjacent to the dunes destroyed many buildings and killed three people.
Tourism
Merzouga, the local tourist center, is located on the western lee of the dunes, together with some 70 or more hotels and auberges running north-south along the dunes. Many companies offer camel trips into the dunes, taking tourists on overnight trips to permanent campsites several kilometers into the erg ( the Moroccan government have removed the camp sites within the dunes and restricted these camping and glamping tented compounds to the outside edges of the dunes) , and out of sight of the hotels. Erg Chebbi's proximity to the tourist center has led to the erg sometimes being referred to as the "dunes of Merzouga".[2]
During the warmest part of the year, Moroccans come to Erg Chebbi to be buried neck-deep in the hot sand for a few minutes at a time. This is considered to be a treatment for rheumatism.
Features
the Erg Chebbi seen from the outskirts of Merzouga
Camels used for tours into the erg
References
- Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi – Rough Guides
- Jean Michel, Jarre (2007). Jean Michel Jarre - The Making of Water for Life. Idesine. p. 31. ISBN 9781903527238.