The last part of the Atlas Mountains is the High Atlas.
The High Atlas in central Morocco rises in the west at the Atlantic coast and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border.
The oldest portion of the range is in the west, near the coast. Its high point is the Jbel Toubkal at a height of 13, 600 ft. The mountain consists of Jurassic and Cretaceous formations notched by deep erosion-carved valleys.
The central part of the High Atlas is a solid chalk mass reaching an altitude of 8200 ft. The contrasting landscapes remind visitors of the Colorado, with its high plateaux, its gorges and box canyons, and its peaks sometimes splintered by erosion. Several peaks in this area exceed 13,000 ft.
This massif became an internationally famous paleontological site after the discovery of the bones of the completely unknown ancestor of the dinosaurs, This dinosaur is also named Tazoudasaurus, after the name of the village of Tazouda where it was discovered.
Another interesting place is Ifrane, a ski town. It’s called Little Switzerland and the photo below shows why is got this name. It looks like a small Swiss village. Mischliffen is nearby and is known as the Moroccan Aspen. This ski resort rivals the ski resorts in the Alps.
And, as you’ve seen from my posts about Middle Atlas Rugs, they make beautiful rugs as well. They use beautiful colors here, including purple, blue and green. There are several other rugs from this area that I want to work with. Maybe some pillows will come up in the future.
The Anti Atlas were formed from the collision of two continents, Europe and Africa, about 300 million years ago. Erosion has reduced the range so that the heights average between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. As you saw in the photo from yesterday, the mountains can be very craggy. Rain is only about 8 inches a year, so the inhabitants tend to live on the north and west slopes, along rivers, and around desert oases. Herding is common. Since few crops can be raised here, the souk (market) is a way to sell and buy what is needed. The souk is common all over the Morocco. I shopped them when visiting around Beni Mellah. They are held on a specific day each week, so people can travel to the one closest to where they live.
In addition to the rugs I’ve shown here, they also use henna to dye patterns onto cloth. And there are silver workers found here in the south as well. The necklaces and bracelets are very popular. I have several myself, though my favorite bracelet is made of such soft silver that it can’t be worn anymore. 
Most of this information and the map were obtained from Wikipedia.
