Watermelon Farm Construction Destroys Rock Engravings in Zagora

Rabat – An ancient rock carving site in the rural commune of Ktaoua, in the province of Zagora, was damaged last week as a result of the construction of an agricultural farm for the cultivation of watermelons.

The destroyed archaeological site included rock inscriptions in the “tazina” style that were of archaeological, historical, and aesthetic importance, dating back to the Neolithic era.

The vandalism incident sparked widespread controversy among archaeological researchers and associations, all of which condemned the lack of responsibility toward Moroccan archaeological heritage.

According to the National Observatory of Cultural Heritage, this incident is an “archaeological disaster” in the region of Draa-Tafilalet.

The observatory stressed that the incident reflects “the lack of respect for the requirements of Law 80-22, which has become overridden, especially with the repeated incidents of vandalism that affected numerous archaeological sites, especially in the Draa-Tafilalet region.”

The National Observatory of Cultural Heritage also denounced the farm’s “irresponsible acts,” and considered the incident as a contribution to “the sabotage of an important part of the national and human tangible heritage, and damage Moroccan archaeological sites and lose their scientific and historical value.”

In response, it has called on the Ministry of Agriculture to “assume its responsibility in monitoring the notebooks and implementing the law, especially in the study of impact, which must include a part related to the potential impact of works on the archaeological sites.”

Given the site’s huge archaeological importance, the observatory also called the Ministry of Culture to urgently intervene to “stop the series of sabotage, whose pace has accelerated in an alarming way, threatening the archaeological heritage, especially in the Draa-Tafilalet region, which is considered the most affected at the national level.”

Mohamed Abioui, president of the association Foum Chenna for rock art also commented on the incident on his Facebook page, saying: “As a Moroccan citizen interested in rock engravings and defender of this human cultural heritage, I received with deep concern the news of the sabotage of the site of rock inscriptions “Ouakhir” in the town of Ktaoua.”

The association called on “all civil forces, human rights, academic, political and trade union” to “mobilize, coordinate and unite efforts to promote, defend and preserve the national archaeological heritage” against “the enormity of this irresponsible and reckless act, against part of the national heritage and human.”

For his part, Abdelhadi Iwak, an archaeological researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Chouaib Doukkali University in El Jadida, said that “rock art sites should receive government care, because they contribute to the development of cultural tourism and support local development.”