3 Best Sights in Zagora, The Great Oasis Valleys

Three km (2 miles) south of Zagora, Amezrou is famous for its Jewish silversmiths, who made decorative jewelry in this small village until the creation of the Israeli State in 1948, when all but 30,000 of Morocco's 300,000 Jews left for Israel. Craftsmen continue the tradition in the Mellah here. It's a worthwhile stop if you don't mind the clamor of children eager to be hired as your guide. You may also be able to find some interesting Jewish antiques if you ask.

The town's promontory, capped by an 11th-century Almoravid fortress, is an excellent sunset vantage point—it overlooks the Drâa palmery with the distant Djebel Sarhro Massif to the north and the Tinfou Dunes to the south. Djebel Zagora is reached via the first left turn south of the Kasbah Asmaa hotel; there's also a twisting footpath up the 3,195-foot mountain from the hotel itself. Most hotels in town will arrange for you to do the trip by camel, and it makes a nice sunset trek.

Deep within the evocative alleys of the Ksar Tissergate—a 17th-century fortified village—this fascinating museum displays local costumes, agricultural implements, domestic utensils, jewelry, and other artifacts. Unlike most museums in southern Morocco, exhibits here have explanations in English. You access it through the Kasbah Ziwana and they can supply you with a guide for a small tip.