Taforalt

Useful Information

Location:	P6012, Berkane, Morocco. From Berkane RN2 west, turn left on RR607, turn left on RP6012. (34.8138284, -2.4037466)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Taforalt, Tel: +212-629-646882.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1908	cave discovered.
1944–1947	excavation.
1950–1955	excavation by Roche.
1969–1977	excavation.
01-JUL-1995	added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
2003–2018	excavation.

Description

Taforalt is a cave shelter which is also known as Grotte des Pigeons (Cave of Pigeons), in Arabic مغارة الحمام (magharat alhamam). The site is an archaeological cave shelter which was excavated several times sind 1944. A 10 m thick layer of sediments contained a sequence of archaeological remains dating between 85,000 and 10,000 years BP. These include pre-Mousterian, Aterian, and Iberomaurusian lithic industries, as well as an industry between the Aterian and the Iberomaurusian dating around 24,500 BP. Such industries mean that the cave was used to produce stone tools. From the Iberomaurusian (15,100 to 14,000 BP) dozens of burials were found, some showing evidence of postmortem processing. The excavations revealed hearths, lithics, and shell beads, as well as a variety of artefacts. The site was so exceptional because it was used over a long period of time and because the dryness increased the preservation. The site is so important that he was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 01-JUL-1995.

The cave is named after the small village Taforalt or Tafoughalt. It is located on the northeastern side of the village. The main road RR607 goes through the village, north of the village the RP6012 turns off to the right. There is a car park, a barbecue area, a well-made trail with stone staircases uphill to the cave entrance, and there are educational signs. But the cave is an archaeological site, and it is gated with an iron bar gate. In other words, it’s not possible to enter the cave at all. On the other side this is a shelter, an overhanging rock face, and it’s possible to see the whole cave including the excavations from the gate. That’s why we classified the site as being open with no restrictions.