Dar Ait Sidi El Mati is the second of Skoura's celebrated kasbahs, sitting on the north bank of the Dades River in the heart of the palm grove. Unlike Kasbah Amridil, which has been partially restored and receives a steady trickle of visitors, Dar Ait Sidi El Mati is less visited and in a more ruinous condition — which makes it, in some ways, more atmospheric. The crumbling towers and collapsed sections give a clearer sense of what these mud-brick structures are up against in a climate that alternates between scorching summer heat and occasional flash floods.
A local guide is essential to reach it from the main road — the paths through the grove change seasonally as irrigation channels are redirected, and what was a clear route one month may be impassable the next. The two kasbahs can usually be combined in a single half-day walk of roughly four to six kilometres through the grove.