Zagora
Zagora refers to the Berber word “Tazagart”
which means the short tree that has dense leaves and thorns. The town was
established by the French authorities during the protectorate, Zagora seems unpromising
at first sights: a drawn-out modern market town with a big crop of hotels and
government buildings and few sights of specific interest. But still the most convenient
base for exploring the region. The sign signifying “Tombouktou, 52 days by
camel” evokes the great age of the trans-Saharan caravans. Unfortunately Tombouktou
road sign has been removed in an overzealous bout of the city council tidying. Zagora
is the region’s main staging post for trips to the fringes of the Sahara.
