Dra'a River
Qsar (fortress) on promintory above palm oases
Tomb of Sidi bn Nasr, at Tamegrut
In the 17th and 18th centuries, this zawiya, or religious / Sufi brotherhood, saint's tomb, and school was a major center of Islamic learning and culture. Its library -- now open for tours -- contains many rare and beautifully-caligraphed books. The zawiya still functions. Students still study at its medrassa and become imam-s (preachers) and fqih-s (religious specialists and Quranic school teachers who serve villages throughout the South and High Atlas. And the saint is renowned for curing jinn-spirit possession, so people thought to be possessed (who we probably would term "mentally ill") make pilgraimmages or are brought by relatives to be healed by the saint's baraka (divine blessedness), |
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