Doukkala


Doukkala is a natural region of Morocco made of fertile plains and forests. Nowadays it is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region.
It is a plain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean south of Oum Er-Rbia River up to some 50 km further southward and the same distance eastward.
The main urban centers are Sidi Smail, Sidi Bennour, Had Ouled Frej, Khemis Zemamra. Sidi Bennour is the fastest developing center of the four.
It is mainly an agricultural region, with few tourist attractions.

History

Historically, Doukkala referred to a Berber tribe which occupied the territory from Anfa to Asfi. They revolted against Almohad kings in the 12th century. About 1160, the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min settled Arab bedouin tribes there, a coalition of whom he had defeated earlier in Tunisia.
At the end of the French protectorate, there lived in Doukkala 372,269 Muslims, 2,680 Europeans and 3,933 Jews.

Geography

Doukkala is divided in three sub-regions, parallel to the seacoast.
The only mountain to be seen is at the border with the plain of Rahamna called "Jbel Lakhdar" meaning "Green Mountain".
The plain is subject to flooding. A temporary natural lake between Sidi Bennour and Larbaa Ouled Amrane called "Ouarar" only fills in rainy years. Its largest surface was noted in 1916, 1966 and 2008.

Features of the Doukkala