An overview of the town of Tamgrout in the Draa Valley of southern Morocco. The date palm riverine oasis of the Draa lies beyond. You can get an idea of the dimensions of the riverine oasis here; it is about one and a half miles across. Beyond that it is Sahara desert.

Tamgrout holds a special place in Moroccan Islam because it is the center of a religious organization founded in the 1600s around the teachings and influence of a scholar and leader whose powers were so respected that he was identified as a saint. This organization is called the Zawiya Nsairiyya, after Sidi Nsar, the saint himself. Its central elements are his shrine, the school which perpetuated his teachings and brought sscholars from afar; and the annual festival held in his honor. The saint's family continues as the head of the zawiya and is responsible for the upkeep of the shrine.