Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI Search this
Type:
Articles
Place:
Morocco
Atlas Mountains
Date:
1990
Notes:
Berber architecture in the Atlas Mountains uses stone and earth as primary building materials. As one goes farther south toward the Sahara, mud buildings are the exclusive type to be seen, though the basic forms remain the same: square, flat-roofed dwellings built close together. The villages resemble fortresses, as indeed they once were, presenting to the outside world high walls and defensive towers. The more southern sites are genuine oasis communities.
The key to understanding these Berber dwellings is adaptability: how they are suited to the social organization of Berber family structure, the agrarian economy, and the landscape and climate.
