Probably dating back to the time of Moulay Smaïl in the 17th - 18th century, The Great Mosque in the historic center of Bhalil in 2009 - Fez-Sefrou Region - © 2023
Unbelievable but true! At the end of December 2023, the prestigious British magazine “The Times” published a ranking of the 89 best tourist destinations in the world for 2024. Among these global destinations, only one is in Morocco, ranked 68th. I'll let you guess which destination it is from the following six: ➀-Marrakech, ➁-Agadir, ➂-Tangier, ➃-Rabat, ➄-Casablanca, ➅-Bhalil. As we didn't expect, the correct answer is “Bhalil.” Yes, you read that right, Bhalil. I conclude that this is the best tourist destination in Morocco for 2024 according to the magazine in question. The village of Bhalil is known for its cave dwellings, which are still in use today. In fact, the highest concentration of caves in Morocco is found in Bhalil in the Fez region. Hence its designation as a cave village. My only regret about the article in The Times magazine is the lack of a photo to illustrate the paragraph on Bhalil. But don't panic, you will find many photos of the caves of Bhalil in the Caves section of this website Caves, which is entirely dedicated to the village. Here is the link to the original article in The Times magazine The Times.
The Bhalil Village website was created entirely using HTML and CSS coding. The content of this site takes the form of testimonials, reflections, contributions, and even entertainment for those who enjoy reading and are interested in Bhalil. In creating this site, I have made every effort to credit the authors of photos, texts, etc. that are not my own. At the same time, I would like to point out that my own photos, images, texts, and documents on this site are not free of copyright. Finally, contributions to develop or enrich this site are welcome, subject to certain conditions (of course). Whether in real life or online, I hope you enjoy your visit to “Bhalil Village.”
It seems that there are several places called Bhalil in the world. Here we are talking about Bhalil in Morocco. Administratively, Bhalil is now considered a small town with a municipal council and urban status. Whether you prefer a small, young town or a large, old village, everyone can choose what they like best. In any case, Bhalil is perched on the side of a mountain range in Morocco. This range is called the “Middle Atlas.” Bhalil is located about 25 km south of Fez and about 3-4 km northwest of Sefrou. Of course, you can locate this village on Google Maps. Like any urban area, Bhalil is growing. Being limited to the west by mountains and to the east by a fairly steep slope, new neighborhoods are growing in only two directions: north and south. Bhalil is somewhat isolated from major roads. The transition from village to town seems to be taking time. For the moment, it seems to me that we are in a quantum state. Between Bhalil Village and Bhalil Town. Usually, among friends, we called Bhalil “the pebble” or “the rock” or “the tribe.” Many locals who grew up in the village know this. But, as this site is more focused on the past, that is the name Bhalil Village, alias BV, that was chosen. Personally, I prefer it. It could have been Bhalil City if the site were more focused on the present or the future. But that is not the case.
Old Bhalil was built on cliffs with four historic districts: Khandaq, Aghezdis, Kasbah, and Ramla. The historic center was probably built around the large spring (Aïn Kbir) in the Khandaq district. The first and largest mosque overlooking this spring was certainly built later. It was because of the spring that the mosque was built next to it! This area is probably the original epicenter of Bhalil's birth. The first dwellings offered a landscape more reminiscent of a battlefield or ruins. The initial center of activity (trade, etc.) was indeed located there and developed a little more afterwards before declining in favor of other neighborhoods. Furthermore, it is easy to imagine that building on top of and around the cliffs eventually gave rise to narrow, pedestrian-only streets. Apart from a few streets, car traffic in old Bhalil is very limited, if not impossible. However, this situation has given rise to a unique feature: the presence of caves dug into the rock, grottos, and cave dwellings in old Bhalil. This is a tourist attraction waiting to be developed. Only time will tell...
Better-built neighborhoods have sprung up around old Bhalil. These are mainly the Msila neighborhood to the north (less affluent) and the Rkiba neighborhood to the south (more affluent). Commercial activity has shifted from the Khandaq neighborhood, located at the bottom of the historic valley, to the Rkiba neighborhood, located higher up at the entrance to the Binna plateau overlooking the Sefrou basin. This shift was probably catalyzed by the presence of the new mosque in the neighborhood. The administrative infrastructure has been established in the Msila district. However, Bhalil's expansion is limited by its relatively small urban perimeter. The adjacent municipality of Aghbalou Aqorar will eventually be forced to cede some land. It is better for urban expansion to take place in an orderly manner rather than in chaos.
Multi-story buildings are mainly found in older neighborhoods where the streets are narrow and the houses are very close together. This is quite normal since they were built on cliffs. In newer neighborhoods, the land is flat, the houses are not multi-story, and the streets are wider. Traffic flows more easily.
Buildings on the North Cliff. 2009 - © 2023
North Cliff. 1994 - © 2023
South Cliff - Not even scared! 2009 - © 2023
Wider streets. 2009 - © 2023
For reference purposes, for further details, and for those interested in statistics, here are some technical data with practical information. In a sense, this is Bhalil Village's identity card in the form of: Technical PDF Special BV.
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PRODUCTION & DESIGN: Fouad MELLOUK ☀ DATE OF PUBLICATION: April 22, 2023 ☀ UPDATE: May 20, 2024 ☀ CATEGORY: Discovery - History - Memory - Memories ☀ DOCUMENTS, IMAGES & TEXT: All rights reserved. No reproduction without express permission ☀ CONTACT: bhalilvillage@gmail.com ☀ COPYRIGHT © 2023
