Evening star., 1932-04-28
RICH OASIS GROUP
RULED BY FRENCH
Law and Order Extended to
Territory Beyond Atlas
Mountains.

group, beyond the high Atlas Noun
tatns, in the edge Of the Sahara, is the
latest bit of Moroccan territory to have
law and order extended to it by the
French. It is a sort Of Northern Tom
bouotou lTimbuktW, and, like that IA
nous city Of the sands, IS an important
depot for desert commerce.
"Tahlalet has not been visited by
great many Europeans says bulletin
from the National Geographic Society.
1T has not been a very nealthy place
for outsiders AS the French advance
southwark brought more and more OF
coastal and mountain Morocco under
control the bandit and nom2d enemies
of France. both from the mountains
and the SANDS, grayitated to this desert
stronghold.
At End of Route.
Like the old Romans. the French as
they have advanced, have built high
ways Taflalet is at the southern end
of what has cone to be called the
Route Imperialc, which extends for 200
miles southwark from Meknes, in
Northwestern Morocco, over the Middle
Atlas and the High Atlas, and on along
the course Of the River ZiZ AS a re-
suit of the building Of this road, soon
to be completed motor trucks can roar
in from the North to meet the camel
caravans that lumber in from the desert
reaches to the South and East.
"Taflalet, with all its rich products,
has been made out of desert sand. the
waters of the Ziz and the sweat Of
countless generations Of oasis dWellerS
The Ziz is a lusty river as it strikes
southwark through the foothills of the
Atlas toward the Saraha; for it is fed
by the SHOWS and glaciers of the lofty
mountains. At one point 1t carves
great gorge, the Foum Kheneg, Is miles
in length. On the narrow strips of
level land and on the lower slopes Of
this canyon grow date palms and Or
Chard trees and through the cleft beside
the stream runs the Route 1mperiale
The Foum kheneg might be called the
Khaibar Pass of Morocco; and, like
that famous defile of India and
Afghanistan, the Moroccan pass has
had its dangers. Snipers hidden in
clefts of the barren cliffs have taken
unpleasant toll of French soldiers and
transport drivers passing along the
read.
River Transformed.
After emerging from the gorge, the
liz still runs for some distance at the
bottom of a somewhat wider but deep
cliff -hemmed valley. All along this de-
preston are groups Of date palms and
little plots of grain, with here and there
q village All of the villages are forti-
fed. On the fat, barren plateau above,
an observer only few feet away from
the cliff edges would never guess the
existence of the fertile strips below.
"As the Ziz advances, more and more
of its waters are turned aside for irri-
cation. In a final effort the river helps
to create Taflalet. and this accomplish
ment ceases to exist. The ZiZ is not
the sole creator of the palm covered
region, for another mountain-born
stream. the Gheris, flows in at this
point and its waters assist in the oasis
building.
The name, Tafllalet, is given to
the aggregation of oases that exist, in
an almost unbroken group along the
network of canals and among the wells
and springs fed by the dying rivers.
The area is about miles wide and
IL miles long. In it live regularly from
10000 to 100000 people distributed in
more than 100 mud clay villages. In
addition there is a considerable floating
population Of mountain and desert folk.
The oases support millions of tall date
palms, and beneath these grow various
kinds of fruit trees. Nearby are plots
OF cereals and vegetables.
Depot for Desert Commerce,
There is industry, too in the vii
1ages, chiefly the tanning of goatskinS
into morocco leather. Into the cases
come ostrich plumes, gums and gold
dust from Tombouctou Tin buktul and
other Southern centers. These desert
products, together with the dates and
leather. give rise TO an important ex-
port northWard along the Route I'm
periale
''Taf1lalet has figured prominently in
Moroccan affairs for long time From
the eighth to the fourteenth century
there existed among the oaseS the i'm
portant and prosperous City of Sidjil
masSa, but it was destroyed in war soon
after 1868. From Tafilalet came the
Alaouite dynasty. to which the present
Sultan of Morocco belongs.
France began operations in Taflalet
in a peaceful way in 1917 with the in
stallation of a mission at Tighmart
one of the villages. But the interpreter
of the mission was assaSsinated, and
the French troops sent to the oasis lost
heavily. Late in 1918 France created a
military post on a high tableland domi-
mating Tafilalet, and on 1t set powerful
big guns. Since then waiting policy
has been maintained while troops bent
on dispensing lawless elements slowly
closed in, one after another, on the
various oases along the Ziz and the
Gheris. AS the French civil authori-
ties have taken hold they have regu-
lated the use of springs and wells, have
given medical care to natives, and have