About Guelmim
Guelmim (Arabic: كلميم‎, also spelt Glaimim, Goulimine or Guelmin), is a city in southern Morocco, often called Gateway to the Desert (la porte du désert). It is the capital of the Guelmim-Es Semara region which includes southern Morocco (south of the Souss-Massa-Drâa region) and northern Western Sahara. The population of the city is 117,000 (2006 census), making it the largest city in the region.[1] The N1 and N12 highways cross at Guelmim and link it to the nearby region of Souss-Massa-Drâa.
Located 200 km south of Agadir, 110 km from Tiznit and 30 km from the Atlantic Ocean, it had 117,000 inhabitants in 2006.
Guelmim is considered the gateway to the Sahara in Morocco. The city was once a caravan centre on the road to Timbuktu. Today, it is an important place of trade and exchange between the sedentary population and the nomads of the desert. The city notably hosts a weekly camel market, known as Amhayrich, which is the largest camel market in Morocco.
The languages spoken in the region are the Moroccan Arabic dialect, but especially Hassanya (the Arabic dialect of the Moors, common to Mauritanians). There are different tribes around Guelmim, notably the Aït-Moussa-Ali, Ait Oussa, Azwafit, Aït-Baamran (including the Sbouya), Aït-Yassin, Aârib (including the Nwaji), Aït-Lahcen, Doublal, and Ouled Jellal.
