THE BOOK OF
العيون
History, places, people, culture and food of Laayoune, told by two Moroccans.
CHAPTER I
Born from a Spanish post in 1938 near the springs of the Saguia el-Hamra, Laayoune — “the springs” — has become the largest city of the Moroccan Sahara, between dunes, ocean and Hassani culture.
CHAPTER II
The name, Laayoune in Arabic and El Aaiún in Spanish, is said to come from the Hassaniya "layoun", "the springs", referring to the water points that supply the town. Before it, the Saguia el-Hamra valley was grazing land for Sahrawi nomadic tribes.
In 1934 the Spanish lieutenant-colonel Antonio de Oro set up a police barracks on the track between Cape Juby and Villa Cisneros (Dakhla). Finding water underground, he officially founded the town in 1938 on the banks of the Saguia el-Hamra.
It became the administrative and political centre of Spanish Sahara. The discovery and then exploitation of vast phosphate deposits at Bou Craa sped up its growth. On 17 June 1970 a demonstration led by Mohammed Bassiri was put down by Spanish forces: 2 to 11 dead, depending on the source.
In November 1975 King Hassan II launched the Green March: 350,000 unarmed Moroccan civilian volunteers, carrying a Koran and a flag, marched towards Spanish Sahara. After the Madrid Accords of 14 November 1975 Spain left the territory, and Laayoune came under Moroccan administration.
The territory's status is the subject of a United Nations process: the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has had its headquarters in Laayoune since 1991. Since 2015 the town has been the capital of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region.
Since 1975 Laayoune has grown much faster than the Moroccan average. Many Moroccans from the north have settled here, and many Sahrawi families have gradually given up nomadic life. The town has a seawater desalination plant.
In October-November 2010 the Gdeim Izik protest camp, set up near the town by thousands of residents demanding jobs and housing, was dismantled on 8 November; the clashes left dead among the security forces and civilians, with tolls that differ between sources.
CHAPTER III
1938
The Spanish found El Aaiún near the Saguia el-Hamra.
1975
The Green March.
CHAPTER IV
1
A large square with stone tents, the heart of the town's celebrations.
2
The beach about twenty kilometres away, where dunes run down to the Atlantic.
3
To the north, the old Aéropostale stopover where Saint-Exupéry was station chief in 1927–28, and the Khnifiss lagoon.
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
Poetry, tidinit lute music, women's colourful melhfa and men's blue daraa: Hassani culture is protected by the 2011 Constitution.
Sahraoui culture centres on hospitality, oral poetry (the Hassan dialect's rich poetic tradition), camel husbandry and the tent (khaïma) as the fundamental social space. Tea ceremony here is different from northern Morocco — three small glasses of very sweet tea, prepared on the ground, with a social ritual lasting 30–45 minutes. The Guedra dance and Sahraoui music (using the tidinit lute and t'bal drum) are performed at celebrations. Traditional blue and black melhfa robes (for women) and white daraa (for men) remain everyday dress.
CHAPTER VII
The city brings together Sahrawi families, from nomadic tribes such as the Reguibat, and Moroccans from the north who came to work in administration, fishing and phosphates. The khaima tent remains the place for big family celebrations.
Hassaniya is the Sahrawi language, with a very lively oral poetry (the "gaf"). The melhfa, women's colourful veil, is worn every day.
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
Allow 1–3 days to see Laayoune without rushing. That is the length we use in our itineraries.
The best months for Laayoune are November, December, January, February and March.
Per person per day, accommodation included: about $35 on a budget, $80 mid-range and $180 for a luxury stay.
Hassan I Airport (EUN) receives flights from Casablanca (1.5h daily). CTM buses from Agadir (10h) and Dakhla (6h). The N1 coastal highway is the main road connection — dramatic but very long from the north.
The must-sees of Laayoune: Foum El Oued Dunes, Laâyoune Plage, Mosquée Hassan II and Place du Mechouar.
To taste in Laayoune: Khobz, Moroccan mint tea, Oranges with cinnamon and Msemen.
The best areas to stay: Ville Nouvelle, Cité Dakhla and Laâyoune Plage.
Yes, Laayoune welcomes many travellers every year. The precautions are those of any tourist destination: watch your belongings in crowds, politely turn down unofficial guides, agree on a taxi fare before getting in.
Yes, Laayoune is easy to visit with children.
To go further and check what we write.
