Douar Tafza. The birth of a Berber Eco-museum in Ourika.

The idea of implementing the concept of a Berber eco-museum in Morocco is now a reality. It took 16 months of hard construction work to achieve. "Ourika " and " The Berbers" are part of Morocco, and many tourists will enhance their cultural knowledge through the rich cultural details and history of the Berbers. They are a dynamic part of the rich diversity of Moroccan culture and art, with ramifications in many countries and in Europe.

Both Mergani and Mannach bought a collapsed house, a small kasbah in the village of Tafza, in Ourika. The house, originally built at the beginning of the XX century, was more or less closed after the death of its owner whose photograph, which hangs in the house was identified through a remarkable process of cross checking records from the original source of over 800 photographs and glass prints dating back to 1935, and 3,500 documents which are now housed at la Maison de la Photographie in Marrakech.

Villagers called it " talberjt " meaning, the tower. A huge program of reconstruction, with the villagers and local "maallems" who completed restoring pipes , walls and the ceiling. The fabric consisted of thousands of adobe bricks and connecting beams. The walls and pink stones were cut in Oukaïmeden to build the house in traditional style made of adobe. The painted walls change color with the change in sunlight.. We reinforced the foundations and the roof, said Hamid Mergani, The villagers were delighted to see the use of local techniques and spoke of their ecological and thermal qualities and local identity. the village Jemaa ( local council) fully supported our venture and participated with us in the construction. The local community now holds weddings in the house and 500 people have attended, so the ecomuseum is at the heart of the community and very much part of it, preserving and enhancing Berber traditions.The eco-museum is a living concept in the village.


Douar Tafza has become the gathering place of a collection, mostly about the women in the Berber world. In the Berber perception of the world, the Exterior is male dominated. The home, is centered on women, and the miracle of birth. All the domestic world, in textiles, potteries, carving, express this concept of life and procreation. The Berber home is a world of symbolism and signs. The carpets and the pottery are all highly symbolic with designs reflecting the cycle of birth and the womb, marriage and death and the role of men and women. The female is represented by a lozenge logo and the male persona is indicated by horizontal and vertical lines. A unique series of symbols is used to create the deep themes governing Berber culture and its way of life.


The ecomuseum, has a double concept:- a permanent exhibition of items: potteries, carpets, textiles, jewelry, and, of course a gallery of original photographs of the Berbers. It shows the first colour film on the Seksawa tribe of the High Atlas in 1956 and local life in the mountains. The first floor of the house is devoted to documentary films of Berber dancing and singing . there are also two extensive photo galleries with original period photographs.

In the entrance hall they found the deeply dug systern where olives, oil and foodstuffs were stored throughout the year which gives an idea of the local economy. We restored the main room for the chief of the house with a beautiful view of the Ourika valley and cool architecture, where he rests or receives visitors for tea. There is an entrance for everyday use and a special entrance for guests, continued Mr. Mergani.

The aim was to integrate the projects smoothly in the village life, so villagers would identify with it and would be proud of it. An adjoining house has been bought to provide a library where students of berber culture can study at their leisure.

This integration meant planting trees and building water tanks. It was important to show everyone in the community the importance of small cultural units, self dynamism, reinforcing local identity and pride in welcoming tourists with traditional hospitality..

Visitors to the eco-museum of Ourika will enjoy a living and richly cultural visit, on their way to Setti Fatima or other destinations. The eco-museum will provide contacts with local people to organize trekking and a pottery workshop ( Tafza is a village well known for pottery).



It will also try to facilitate dialogue with other local projects. from a remote Breton island on the North Atlantic to the Ourika valley, the adventure of building and the inspiration of local eco culture continues! It is an outstanding example of eco tourism and is an important model for future developments. A diverse spice shop has already sprung up by the entrance into the village.