# Dar Jnan Tiouira

An eleven-room rammed-earth kasbah in the Dades Gorge, built and run by the family of a high-mountain guide, with a well-regarded family kitchen. For walkers and travellers who want a simple, warm stop on the road to the desert.

Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/hotels/dar-jnan-tiouira/

## A kasbah built over ten years

Dar Jnan Tiouira is the work of Mostapha Hamdaoui, a high-mountain guide born in the valley. He built it over some ten years with his father, his brothers and the rest of the family, in pisé (raw earth rammed into wooden forms), following the old methods and the Berber style of the Dades. The house lies about 22 km from Boumalne Dades on the gorge road, between the first foothills of the High Atlas and the plains that run down towards the desert.

The thick earth walls make the house comfortable: rooms stay cool by day and hold the warmth at night. All of them open onto terraces and patios, including an inner courtyard open to the sky. A large sunny terrace with loungers looks over the gorge; a smaller one above gives the highest view. Bathrooms are finished in tadelakt (a smooth, waterproof lime plaster).

## At the Hamdaoui family table

The kitchen is run by Mostapha's brothers and sisters, who cook all three meals of the day. The base is Berber, with their mother's recipes, and the menu also borrows from French, Italian and Spanish cooking. Vegetables grow a few metres away, in the gardens along the river.

Dinner is served at a set time beside an open fire, and each dish is introduced to you. Menus for special diets are prepared on request, and vegetarian meals are common. Breakfast brings pastries, eggs, fruit, mint tea or coffee. With few restaurants nearby, almost every guest dines in; rates are in fact quoted half-board (breakfast and dinner), per adult per night.

## Walking from the door

The house works as a stay in itself, or as the start and end point of a hike. From the back gate, a path leads down to the fields and orchards along the river. Another follows the far side of the gorge past abandoned kasbahs and villages to a set of rock formations. The "Monkey Fingers" viewpoint, the rounded rocks the valley is known for, is five minutes' drive towards Boumalne.

To go further, Mostapha arranges tailor-made:

- **multi-day treks in the High Atlas**, towards the Valley of Roses, the M'Goun massif and Berber villages that 4x4s cannot reach, with mule handlers, bivouac and meals. A typical day: breakfast at camp, a few kilometres on foot, a picnic laid out by the mule handlers who went ahead, time with villagers, then a night under canvas by a river;
- **desert trips**, to the dunes of Merzouga or Chigaga, the oases and the stony plains, on foot, by 4x4 or by mountain bike, with dinner and tea around the fire.

Durations and rates for these trips are agreed with him.

## Which room to choose

The eleven rooms and suites each have a name. The five rooms sleep two to four; the suites add a lounge or a private terrace, depending on the suite. For a couple, the Chemos suite is a duplex, and Chehamd has a lounge and a large bathroom. For a terrace of your own, choose Chezahra (up to four people) or Chekhira. Families take the Assoul suite, the largest, or the Chehamed room with two double beds. Rooms look out over the mountains or the garden; the house does not say which room has which view, so ask when booking.

## Sabaro's view

**Who it suits**: walkers, couples and families who want to stay with a valley family, eat well and hike from the door; travellers heading to Merzouga who want a one- or two-night stop.

**Strengths**: a house built by hand by the family that runs it; a table that guests mention first; a resident high-mountain guide to arrange walks and treks.

**Good to know**: there is no pool; rooms are simple and some bathrooms small; in winter, heat comes from a portable gas heater. The entrance is poorly signposted from the road: follow the pin on Google Maps.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who built the kasbah, and who runs it?

Mostapha Hamdaoui, a high-mountain guide, built it in pisé with his family over ten years, in the Berber style of the Dades valley. He welcomes guests; his brothers and sisters run the kitchen.

### Can hikes be arranged from the kasbah?

Yes: paths start from the house, and Mostapha arranges tailor-made hikes and treks in the High Atlas (Valley of Roses, M'Goun, Berber villages reachable only on foot) with mule handlers and bivouac, as well as desert trips on foot, by 4x4 or by mountain bike.

### Does the kitchen cater for special diets?

Yes: special-diet menus are prepared on request, and vegetarian meals are common. The cooking, Berber with French, Italian and Spanish influences, uses vegetables grown a few metres away, along the Dades.

### How many nights should I plan?

One night is enough for a stop on the way to Merzouga. To walk from the house, allow two or three nights; a trek in the M'Goun is planned with Mostapha over several days.