At the base of the hill, the new village of Chenini is where most of the community now lives — roughly 120 families who moved down from the ridge in search of running water and electricity that the old hilltop settlement could not provide. The contrast between the two settlements is stark: the new village is flat, functional, and modern, while the ancient village above it is all vertical drama and crumbling stone.
There are a few small cafes and a restaurant in the new village, and this is where tour buses stop. It is also the starting point for the climb to the old village. The souvenir sellers are concentrated here; if you want a miniature ghorfa carved from local sandstone or a length of woven Berber fabric, this is where to find them. The women who sell textiles near the base of the trail often weave them themselves — the designs are genuinely traditional, not imported.