the central mountain ranges: atlas & anti atlas
part of the series “mahendra’s morocco“
© mahendra myshkin 2025
The Atlas mountain ranges divide Morocco into contrasting climatic zones and have long provided both protection and isolation for their inhabitants. The High Atlas contains the country’s highest peaks, with villages adapted to harsh winters and terraced agriculture. My Moroccan adventures began here in 2022, when I decided to climb Jebel Toubkal. At 4,167 m (13,671 ft), it is the highest peak in Morocco and North Africa, offering stunning views across the Atlas and over the plains to the south and north in good weather. However, as some of the pictures show, large parts of the country are often veiled by dust and sand clouds originating from the nearby Sahara.
The Anti-Atlas, further south, is lower but rugged, marked by dramatic granite outcrops and traditional Amazigh (Berber) settlements. These regions preserved Berber languages and customs for centuries, often outside the direct control of central dynasties.
