Rissani: The covered market, a ksar and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif

Of all the places I visited in Morocco, the desert town of Rissani made one of the biggest impressions upon me, albeit not for the right reasons.

Situated in the southeast of Morocco, not far from the towns of Erfoud and Merzouga, and close to the Algerian border, Rissani lies in the arid Tafilat region, which is renowned for its date production.

We started our visit in the covered market in the town centre (above). Just outside the entrance, I spotted a group of women sitting in burkas.

After spending time in the cities where I became accustomed to young Moroccan women in western clothing, I was taken aback, as I wasn’t expecting such a huge cultural shift.

Much more conservatively dressed yes, but not as extreme as the burka.

I studied anthropology at university, where I was trained to be open-minded and curious about other cultures. But as a woman who values her independence, the burka is one cultural practice I really struggle with.

We headed inside the market to find it was almost deserted. It was a Friday, the holiest day of the week in Islam and a traditional day off, so most of the stalls were closed.

In the middle of the market, there was a huge area dedicated to selling dates, often wholesale (below).

I felt uncomfortable as I walked around, aware I stood out like a sore thumb, and I was pestered quite a bit by men, who wouldn’t take no for an answer as they tried to sell me various things I didn’t need.

It didn’t help that I only saw two women who weren’t in burkas the whole time I was in the town centre.

Even then, women seemed few and far between. It’s safe to say, I wasn’t a fan of Rissani.

After looking around the market, we made our way to a nearby ksar (above), a small, fortified village, across the road from the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif.

Ksars were designed to offer protection from neighbouring tribes who’d come to raid the village and steal their crops and women.

Built using mud bricks, this ksar was topped with a roof made with palm and wood from the Middle Atlas mountains.

The ksar was fairly empty, but there were still a few families living there and the mosque (below) had recently been rebuilt thanks to funding from the Moroccan government.

The government now controls all the mosques in the country in a bid to combat extremism.

It also employs all the imams and on a Friday, they have to give a sermon written by government officials in Rabat.

The ksar was a fascinating place, but very quiet and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable walking around by myself.

It felt quite isolated, even though we passed a few people – mostly children – as we ambled around.

From the ksar, we popped across the road to take a look at the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif (above), the father of the founder of the ruling Alouite dynasty.

Born in Rissani in the 16th century, Moulay Ali Cherif is said to have been descended from the prophet Mohammed.

Non-Muslims aren’t allowed inside the mosque or to visit Moulay Ali Cherif’s tomb, so we had to make do with looking around the beautiful central courtyard (below).

It was a pretty, tranquil spot with a fountain in the middle surrounded by lush, green foliage.

We didn’t have long to look around because they were expecting a VIP (possibly a government minister) imminently and we needed to be gone before he arrived.

There were lots of very anxious-looking security types milling around, who were all on their guard.

What we saw of the mausoleum was lovely, but I really didn’t like Rissani and was relieved to leave the town behind.

As a woman (and a pale skinned, blue-eyed redhead at that), I felt so uncomfortable there, aware I was attracting attention despite being modestly and respectfully dressed.

I’m used to people staring, pointing, whispering, even giggling, when they see me in parts of Asia and Africa, but it’s usually harmless. Here I just felt unwelcome.

Despite not enjoying my time in Rissani, I was glad I visited as it was important to see another side to Morocco that was in stark contrast to the more touristy areas I’d seen so far.