Merzouga Festival 2018 -5th to 8th April

The Merzouga Festival is the place to be for great music in a stunning environment - four days of food, music and nomadic culture

"The nomadic life is more human, and takes into account its environment in a global way. Still today, the nomad puts his life in the hands of nature and considers wandering, traveling, mobility as the only way to establish a link between oneself, the group and the Universe. The nomad is a part of the natural environment, the environment … It goes with the stars, knows the rhythm of the different seasons thanks to all kinds of natural indications …"

Nomadism is above all a link between peoples and species, through the cultures, manners and customs existing on this earth. Nomads are good connoisseurs of nature. They moved according to the seasons, from one stage to another, from one people to another. Over time, they are enriched by different cultures, mystical beliefs, from the perception of heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible.

Merzouga is the default name used to refer to the whole region lying between the city of Rissani and the Algerian border. It includes the villages of Hassi Labiad, Taouz, Khamlia and Merzouga. At the side of the black and rocky desert, red sand rises as far as the eye can see, offering a decoration that keeps changing with the winds and sunlight. It is the Erg Chebbi, an immense set of dunes that are higher than 150 metres. You are at the gateway to the Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world. Welcome to the neighbours of heaven, those whose silence is the greatest wisdom. It is the empire of blue men where smile and hospitality will always prevail. These desert dwellers have a heart as vast as the horizons around them. This place has stopped in time to blend in with the absolute of true beauty, unchangeable, and inexhaustible. His wind seems to tell the origin of Creation. You will find all the simplicity of the world at your feet, and the most distant constellations within reach of your hands.

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15th International Nomad Festival

The association "Nomads of the World" launches the 15th edition of the International Festival of Nomads in M'hamid El Ghizlane, in the province of Zagora.  It runs from the 22nd to the 24th of March

The cultural event gives the local and international public access to ancestral arts and traditions. On the program are three days of music, debates, traditional sports and gastronomy.

Artists from Hungary, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, France and Morocco will take part in the festival. Ffteen open-air concerts will liven up the nights in the centre of M'hamid.

"Music programming is developed to provide a balance between internationally renowned artists and those in the making. The aim is to reach a diverse audience, to create links and to reinforce the fraternal dimension of the event ", explains the director of the event, Noureddine Bougrab.

The days will feature the traditional activities of the Saharan nomads. Cross-country sand hockey players known locally as "mok'hach", the competitors of the camel race called "ellaz". There will also be a sand loaf competition, "la mella" and a demonstration of nomadic tents.

Another tradition, that of the palaver, will be highlighted during the debates, presentations and workshops in the forum of Nomads. The themes will focus on the heritage and history of this Drâa-Tafilalet region. "This ancient cultural crossroads was a crucial step in trans-Saharan trade. But how to think about solutions for the future of nomadism in a Sahara that has seen its nomadic population shrink by 70% in the last decade? National and international specialists will deliver their visions, "emphasizes Noureddine Bougrab.

The festival-goers will also be able to discover the Monday Souk with its colours and scents.

 According to the director of the event, "the festival is a unifying event that, on the one hand, highlights the heritage of nomads and radiates the Hassani culture and on the other hand, supports the local economy by contributing to the attractiveness of M'hamid El Ghizlane in the Drâa-Tafilalet region and encouraging spectators of all origins to visit the area ".

Noureddine Bougrab, teacher of classical Arabic in M'hamid school, insists on the involvement of young people for the smooth running of the festival which welcomed 20,000 people and 300 stakeholders in 2017. "We expect even more this year" he says. This event is the result of a close collaboration between the association "Nomads of the World" and national and regional partners.

A look back at the 2017 edition


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Fifteenth International Nomads Festival

The International Nomad Festival (22 - 24 March) was first staged in 2003 and is based in the small Moroccan village of M'hamid El Ghizlane, some 60 kilometres south of Zagora in the Draa Valley. Entry to the festival is free

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International Festival of Nomads - 16th to 18th March

Morocco is famous for its many unique festivals but one in particular is not to be missed - the International Festival of Nomads

An open-air event in harmony with nature and with the nomads' world, the International Festival of Nomads is a forum for freely expressing and exchanging ideas in a friendly environment, showcasing a civilisation of children, women and men with a strong cultural identity of the values ​​and wisdom that are the legacy of their ancestors.

Various cultural activities highlight the tangible and intangible heritage of the nomadic tribes and contributing to preserving their cultural identity. Economic and social solutions are presented during the conferences and workshops, to encourage collective and associative initiatives and open new opportunities to local development.

Set in a colourful and exotic setting, the 14th Nomads Festival will be once again a great meeting of nomadic cultures, an exploration for the visitors and a model for the younger generations, who have an opportunity to open up to new borders while preserving their traditions .

An ode to the discovery of another culture and to the familiarisation of the history of the Saharan nomads, the festival was initiated by the Association Nomades du Monde,  thanks to the vision of its director Noureddine Bougrab. This Arabic teacher had the primary goal of "involving young people" in this adventure.

The event, which is free and citizen-oriented, allows for "three days of music, debates, games, dromedary races, gastronomy and crafts that make the whole region live" Life and to bring it closer to this way of life, the same source said.

Thursday 16, Friday 17 and Saturday 18 March 2017, the public is invited to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, in the province of Zagora to join this most musical celebration. Indeed, this edition will be marked by the participation of Tuareg guitarist Bombino and the Malian group Terakaft, among others. The kingdom will be represented by the legendary group Nass El Ghiwane, the rising star of the Gnawas Mehdi Nassouli, the Sahrawi diva Saïda Charaf, the rocker Mohamed Jbara as well as the traditional dancers of Ahwach de Ouarzazate.

During the festival there will be three days of conferences, round tables and workshops are offered on various subjects: nomadism, heritage, flora, fauna, agriculture, environmental protection, economy, health and education.

The culinary art is present through one of the essential preparations in the desert: sand bread (mella).

And there is sport, with a demonstration of nomadic hockey and a camel race called "ellaz".

sand bread preparation

M'hamid El Ghizlane ("the plain of gazelles"), the last village before the vast expanses of the Sahara, is a rural municipality of the Zagora province, in the southern Drâa - Tafilalet region. It is located at the end of the N9 road, after Tamegroute, and it shares its southern border with Algeria.

An ancient cultural crossroads - its territory used to be a stop for trans-Saharan traders - M'hamid El Ghizlane is part of a nomadic area. With its little adobe shacks made of mud or clay bricks, the little ocher village seems to come right out of sand.

The climate is dry, with high temperatures in the summer, and cool in winter. The landscape is arid. Due to the land's barrenness and dryness, and the shifting national borders, a great number of nomads have abandoned their itinerant lifestyle. However, the people of M'hamid treasure the traditions of their ancient lifestyle, and preserve the noble legacy of their ancestors.

M'hamid El Ghizlane is sheltered in a palm grove stretching for 16 km along the river Drâa (oued Drâa). One of the banks is M'hamid Bali, the old town, which holds an important kasbah. On the other side, M'hamid Jdid, (the new village), offers essential facilities: groceries, craft shops, cafes, restaurants, family hotels and tourist agencies.

The legendary Nass El Ghiwane will perform at the festival 

Every Monday there is a souk, an opportunity to see the famous "blue men", desert camel-herders, and to buy local products, bathed in the colours and fragrances of these goods.

Getting there is easy. M'hamid El Ghizlane is accessible from the international airport of Ouarzazate and then by road to Zagora. There are rental cars at the airport or in town. Local transport is available with regular bus connections. The CTM (Compagnie des Transports du Maroc) is present in all bus stations

For accommodation, visitors can choose between different categories of hotels, riads, guesthouses or desert camps. M'hamid El Ghizlane has established itself as the main departure point for desert excursions, especially to the dunes of Erg Lehoudi and Erg Chegaga.

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Sixth International Nomad Festival opens in Morocco

The Nomads Festival is based in the small Moroccan village of M'Hamid El Ghislane some 60 kilometres south of Zagora in the Draa Valley. This, the sixth edition of the festival, features dance, music, exhibitions, conferences and handicraft displays and draws international artists from France, Spain and Brazil.

First held in 2003, the Nomads Festival performances are held at two sites, in the village itself and in a specially set-up nomadic camp in the desert, located about 20km from M'Hamid.


The festival runs through until the 9th of March and details (in French) can be found on their website. Nomad Festival.

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