Ahouli
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Ahouli | |
|---|---|
Abanonded mining village | |
  Ahouli | |
| Coordinates: 32°50′19″N 4°34′32″W / 32.8386°N 4.5756°W | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Drâa-Tafilalet |
| Province | Midelt Province |
Ahouli (or Aouli) is an abandoned mining village in central Morocco. Once one of the most important lead deposits in Morocco,[1][2][3] the nearby Ahouli and Mibladen mines are now abandoned. It is located on a valley along upper Moulouya river, about 25 kilometers north from Midelt.[4] For more than ten years, thousands of illegal miners risked their lives in its galleries daily.[5][6]
The French company Penarroya operated the sites from 1928 to the 1960s,[7][8][9] employing hundreds of Moroccan workers[10][11][12] and producing tens of thousands of tons of lead annually, most of which was exported to France.[13][14]