The Beaches at Mirleft

Sunday was set aside for the beach. It was a slightly overcast day, but mist and fog are common in this area. It was just warm enough for the beach, so we went! There are four beaches in Mirleft and we chose the one that is still the least developed and the most remote.

On the way there, we stopped to view Mirleft's most well-known beach called Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah (which is the name of the saint or marabout whose tomb is also located near this beach; it means "Saint Mohammed son of Abdallah"). Here are a few snapshots I took at Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah: [The mosque at the edge of the beach is the site of the holy man's tomb.]

A bit further down the road was a more remote beach, less known to tourists and crowds. This is where we spent the day enjoying the sea breezes, moments of sunshine, and the soft sand:

Here I am on the rocky outcroppings at the beach. In case you're wondering, I am not wearing an hijab (the full covering worn by some Muslim women) --- rather, it was very windy and slightly cold, so I wrapped a scarf around my head. No Muslim woman wearing a hijab would have left a v-neck area on her chest open! 

In case you're curious, women who do wear hijab can be found all over the beaches and many do go swimming. Here is a picture of a woman in hijab enjoying the waves:

As we walked away from the beach, rugged hills like this one were nestled right up to the beach. I took this picture because of the wall you can see. There are walls like this one everywhere. They delineate property and keep goats and sheep from wandering down to the water, but they also serve to help prevent erosion. Personally, they made me think about Human/Environment interaction and how people have been living simple lives here for millennia and passing down ways of dealing with their harsh surroundings.

Just to the left of this hill, there was a well. There was a very primitive system for raising water with some nice modern adaptations:

Me at the well

The "basin" or receptacle used at the well. If you look closely, it is a modified car tire. The tire itself has had its interior edges cut out, then the tire was turned inside out, and then a disk of tire rubber was glued in to once side to create a basin. This basin is not meant to be lifted. I believe this is where animals are given water to drink and it was sitting at the edge of the well. It's a good example of how nothing that can still serve some purpose is ever thrown away: Recycling at its best.

This is the view up the hill from the well. I just thought it was very picturesque, rustic, and emblematic of this region: Palm tree, stone wall, argan tree, a well-worn path, and desert shrubs.