Skoura

According to the 2014 national census, the total population of the Skoura area (the commune called Skoura Ahl El Oust) was 24,055. The main town centre of Skoura had a population of 4,332.^[5]

Historically, the population of the oasis was composed of many layers of immigration and ethnic groups. Some of the oldest known groups were Berbers (Amazigh) such as the Masmuda, followed by Arab tribes like the Banu Hilal and Banu Ma'qil. Later groups included Black Sub-Saharan Africans, many of them descended from slaves who were imported in various periods. One of these were the Haratin, who had useful agricultural expertise. Another groups were known as the 'Abid, members of the Black Guard of the early Alaouite sultans or other slaves often placed in charge of households, many of whom are part of religious brotherhoods characterized as the Gnawa. A long-standing Jewish community also existed in the oasis, possibly since its foundation, and historically participated in many of the same activities and even the same festivals as the Muslim population. The Jewish community has left physical traces such as tombs and cemeteries. There were also prominent religious Muslim families who were leaders of local Sufi zawiyas (shrines or religious centers) and held a special status among the rest of the population.^[2]

The oasis and palmeraie is dotted with many traditional kasbahs (fortified family mansions) and ksour (fortified villages) built in rammed earth, dating from various periods in the last few centuries, some of which are crumbling today while others have been recently restored or converted to new uses. The typical form of a kasbah is a tall square-base structure with four corner towers, often with decorative motifs carved into their upper parts, although other annexes and structures may be attached and part of the same residential complex.^[6] The decorative motifs in Skoura are among some of the most elaborate in this kind of architecture.^[7] The most famous is the Kasbah Amridil: a ksar since the 17th century to which a towering kasbah was added at the end of the 19th century.^[8][6] The Kasbah Aït Ben Moro, cited as one of the best-preserved,^[7][9] originally dates from the 17th century, but was restored and converted to a hotel at the end of the 20th century.^[7] Along with the Kasbah Ait Ben Moro, various other kasbahs are named after the notable families that lived in them, such as the Kasbah Aït Ben Moro, Kasbah Mohamed Ben Hamadi, Kasbah Ait Abou, Kasbah Si Abd El Kebir, etc.^[2]

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31°03′38″N 6°33′20″W / 31.06056°N 6.55556°W / 31.06056; -6.55556