A small village perched on the mountainside in the holy of holies of Azilal, the village of Taghia (Gorge in Amazigh) has established itself in around twenty years as a mecca for climbing. Intrepid climbers come to train there and others less experienced have their baptism of fire there.
This small village of rocks, located 7 km from the emblematic Zaouia Ahensal, offers very beautiful walls which appeal to rock climbers from the four corners of the world. The latter come in numbers to tame the imposing rocks which emerge here and there in this breathtaking little town.
Nicknamed Cirque de Taghia because of its natural shape particularly similar to a cirque, this place is known for its impressive orange limestone rocks which make it famous.
An essential spot for climbing, Taghia became famous after the year 2000 for having hosted the most dizzying ascents of seasoned professional climbers whose passage gave the circus a global and sporting aura.
In Taghia, each rock has its name. This place is home to around 20 intriguing cliffs comprising hundreds of routes carefully carved by visiting climbers since the 1970s.
There are Mount Timghazine which peaks at 3171 meters, Mount Taoujdad which sits sumptuously above 2600m as well as Jbel Oujdad (2695), the first mountain that we see once on Taghia. The famous Tilemsine Wall is also very coveted by Alpine tourists.
The routes also seem to live up to their names. The “goat ladder”, “all for the Club”, “Baraka” as well as the “Axis of Evil”, this route of the impossible which gives this spot all its sporting character due to its trying and dangerous nature ascension.
The site was also made famous after the visit of Alex Hannold, one of the heavyweights of world climbing, who climbed one of the most difficult routes with his bare hands without ropes or other equipment.
Taghia has nothing to envy of the world’s climbing sites. Its cliffs are made for climbing, Mohamed Amil, professional climber and owner of Gîte Amil in Taghia, tells us in a statement to MAP.
We can boast of having these cliffs which are among the best and which are very frequented by the most seasoned climbers, he said, recalling that high-level climbers know the mountains and the routes each by name. .
The Taghia cirque has important sporting assets represented by its beautiful rocks, as wild as they are, but also for its gorges and its water sources which flow down onto the Oued Ahensal and which give this village all its unique tourist character, he underlined.
Welcoming the significant efforts made by the local authorities of the province of Azilal in terms of opening tracks and electricity connections, Mr. Amil nevertheless recalled the importance of strengthening the network and internet connectivity of this area in due to the influx of foreign tourists who can get lost in the wild nature of Taghia and because of the risk linked to the practice of climbing in an environment like this.
In similar statements, a group of Spanish climbers visiting Taghia stressed that this spot is on the way to becoming one of the essential places for the practice of climbing, saying they were impressed by the beauty of the place and the generosity of the people. inhabitants of Taghia.
2024-09-27 17:48:41