AP Photos: Trapped by snow in a Moroccan mountain village
AP Photos: Trapped by snow in a Moroccan mountain village
![Image](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/fb3464c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/599x399!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fafs-prod%2Fmedia%2Fa7f23444484246c084e36d8b2d34e20b%2F3000.jpeg)
A woman carries her son after feeding her family’s sheep in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Sheep that nomadic Amazigh tribes rely on for living huddle inside a barn amidst snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A mule used for transportation is seen outside a barn in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Ihsan, 5, stands outside her home which has a solar panel to provide heat and electricity, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman walks home amidst heavy snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village, surrounded by snowfall in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A view of snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A family crosses a road amidst heavy snowfall to collect water in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Al Hassan, 42, poses for a portrait with his daughters as they walk to their home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A foosball table is covered in snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world.(AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A peach tree is seen in snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman stands outside an oven as she prepares to bake bread for her family in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Awoman stands outside her home amidst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A shepherd crosses a road with his sheep as they graze in amongst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman puts out clothes to dry amidst the snow outside her home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Aqli Fatima poses for a portrait in her home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Muhammad Miloud has tea with his wife and children, Houda and ihsan, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman chops wood to use for cooking and heating in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Children walk home from school in the Amazigh Timahdite village, surrounded by snowfall in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Women wash clothes outside their home which is surrounded by snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
![Image](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/fb3464c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/599x399!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fafs-prod%2Fmedia%2Fa7f23444484246c084e36d8b2d34e20b%2F3000.jpeg)
A woman carries her son after feeding her family’s sheep in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman carries her son after feeding her family’s sheep in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Sheep that nomadic Amazigh tribes rely on for living huddle inside a barn amidst snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Sheep that nomadic Amazigh tribes rely on for living huddle inside a barn amidst snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A mule used for transportation is seen outside a barn in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Ihsan, 5, stands outside her home which has a solar panel to provide heat and electricity, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Ihsan, 5, stands outside her home which has a solar panel to provide heat and electricity, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman walks home amidst heavy snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village, surrounded by snowfall in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman walks home amidst heavy snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village, surrounded by snowfall in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A view of snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A view of snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A family crosses a road amidst heavy snowfall to collect water in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Al Hassan, 42, poses for a portrait with his daughters as they walk to their home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A foosball table is covered in snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world.(AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A foosball table is covered in snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living here rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world.(AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A peach tree is seen in snowfall in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman stands outside an oven as she prepares to bake bread for her family in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Awoman stands outside her home amidst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Awoman stands outside her home amidst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A shepherd crosses a road with his sheep as they graze in amongst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A shepherd crosses a road with his sheep as they graze in amongst the snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman puts out clothes to dry amidst the snow outside her home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Aqli Fatima poses for a portrait in her home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Aqli Fatima poses for a portrait in her home in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Muhammad Miloud has tea with his wife and children, Houda and ihsan, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Muhammad Miloud has tea with his wife and children, Houda and ihsan, in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
A woman chops wood to use for cooking and heating in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Children walk home from school in the Amazigh Timahdite village, surrounded by snowfall in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Women wash clothes outside their home which is surrounded by snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Women wash clothes outside their home which is surrounded by snow in the Amazigh Timahdite village in the Middle Atlas, near Azrou, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
TIMAHDITE, Morocco (AP) — For the people of the remote Moroccan village of Timahdite, nestled in North Africa’s highest mountain range, heavy snowfall brings weeks, or months, of isolation.
Nomadic Amazigh tribes living there rely on sheep that graze the lush forests around the village, which sits at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in the Middle Atlas Mountains. But as winter sets in, they are gradually cut off from the world.
The mountains, known for their red-shaded soil, give way to what seems like an endless white. The isolation remains until the road leading to the village is reopened by local authorities’ tractors. But they are often delayed.
After just a week under the season’s first snowfall, the pool and foosball tables that youths pass the time with are fully covered. The sheep are tucked together in a small barn for days.
When the snowy weather finally recedes, families try to resume their lives. Children trek along the winding roads to reach the nearest school.
While most of the men resume work in nearby towns, women carry the weight of village life. They chop wood from a nearby forest that is used for heating, bake Amazigh bread from flour that had been stored weeks in advance for winter. In the afternoons, they walk or ride donkeys to nearby lakes or water sources and wash clothes that can finally dry in the sunlight. Sometimes, they carry on the shepherd’s role too.
Heavy rain and snowfall is generally welcomed in Morocco, a coastal country on the edge of the Sahara with few sources of fresh water. Farmers look forward to the rainy season as agriculture depends on storing rainwater in dams, and prices of vegetables and fruit can be affected by levels of rain.
But for people like Aqli Fatima, standing in her home as her daughters feed the chickens and clean a rug, winter weather brings hardship. In spite of her family’s best efforts, using bricks or nylon bags, water from rain and melted snow leaks into their small living room.
“It’s like this every year, there is nothing to do but pray.”
Mohamed Miloud sits in his home as his children are dropped off in a school transport vehicle. A solar panel is perched on top of his brick home as his daughter Ihsan peeks out of the door.
“Maybe things will be better for them,” he says.