The Kasbahs of Nkob

Around 45 earthen kasbahs in a single hilltop village

What sets Nkob apart from every other village in the Drâa is the sheer number of kasbahs — the fortified mud-brick family compounds typical of pre-Saharan Morocco. They cluster along the slope above the palmery, with crenellated walls and tall corner towers giving the village a skyline that looks, from a distance, like a small city of towers.

Most kasbahs are still owned and lived in by the families that built them, though a few have been converted into small auberges. A morning walk through the lanes — there is no entrance fee, no formal route — is the best way to see them; the ridge above the village gives the panoramic view used in most photographs.

things to do sight
A story
Nkob is claimed by Moroccan heritage authorities to have the highest density of kasbahs of any village in the country — around 45, all built of rammed earth and palm wood, mostly between the 17th and early 20th centuries. The village has been on Morocco's UNESCO tentative list since 2012.

Other places in Things to Do