Berber horsemen, Sefrou. In his blog, Bravo , the Other Side of the Mountains , recently reviewed three books on nomads, which he found interesting and of wider interest. Nomadism seems to be a dying way of life, and through romantic eyes, one to be much regretted.
I suspect that nomads today have, like hunters and gatherers, been pushed yet farther into extreme environments, and nomadic lifestyles have changed, and not necessary for the better. In the Sahara, they have also become involved in resistance movements such as the Polisario as well as fundamentalist insurgencies.
My experience with nomadism consists of my rambles in the Middle Atlas, excursions in other regions of Morocco, and a trip by truck across the Sahara eventually to be a post of its own. I have met nomadic people, drunk tea with them in their tents and along desert roads in Algeria, and talked with them in the cedar forests of Morocco.
I do not claim any special knowledge, and my observations are casual. The lines of demarcation varied according to the relative strength of the government or the tribes. When the sultan was strong, the tribes avoided trouble with the government. When the tribes were strong, the government was confined to the traditional capitals, usually Fes, Marrakesh, and Meknes in modern times, and even these cities were not safe.
The walls around Moroccan cities were functional until the French authority secured the country in the twentieth century. Cannons were scarce and difficult to transport on dirt tracks, and walled cities could close their gates and hold out until help arrived. Summer pastures at Daya Ifreh, Middle Atlas.
