The palm grove that stretches below the town and along the edge of the sebkha is the agricultural heart of Timimoun: tens of thousands of date palms, with small plots of vegetables, alfalfa and grain growing in their shade. The whole oasis is watered by foggara — narrow underground tunnels, dug by hand a thousand years ago, that bring groundwater from the high desert to the gardens by gravity.
Walking the grove is the right antidote to a hot afternoon in the bare town above. Paths run between the plots and out to the older outlying ksour. A few of the foggara outlets are visible as small open channels feeding stepped distribution basins; the system is still in active use and remains one of the most ingenious pieces of pre-modern water engineering anywhere. Wear closed shoes; there are snakes.