The lovely rooms of Kasbah Itran
Night view from outside my room, of the Dades Valley
Dawn in the valley, which is nicknamed Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs
One of many ruined kasbahs in the valley
The High Atlas mountains in the background
Kasbah Itran itself, where I stayed.
Specially came to Kelaa M'Gouna for the Festival of the Rose. Every year in May, a festival is held to celebrate the bloom of the pink Persian rose, known as the Damascus Rose
The locals turn out full force for this festival.
One of the "flower girls"
Those lucky few who's houses oversee the road where the festival parades through
Some climb up to the rooftop for better views
Something akin to our Chingay parade, the crowds are huge, all vying to see the floats and parade.
Winners of the Miss Rose pageant, which was selected the night before
I suppose the topmost one is Miss Rose...
The Queen or something I'm told...
It seems a rare holiday for the Moroccans as most families are out having fun!
After the parade, basically, its just a major holiday for everyone with lots of stalls everywhere, like a giant market day
There is even a carnival with ferris wheel, bump cars and games!
The whole town is selling rose products, the most famous being rosewater.
Took a walk round one of the ruined kasbahs
The Damascus Rose
Unfortunately, the roses are relatively small compared to the hedges they grow in, so they don't turn out particularly spectacular even though there are rows and rows of the rose hedges
