Ziz River

For other uses, see Ziz (disambiguation).

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Ziz River

The Ziz River (Arabic: نهر زيز‎‎ nahr zīz) is a river in the south of Morocco and Algeria. It has its source in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco and flows 282 kilometers (175 mi) into the Sahara Desert in Algeria. Although water flow is intermittent along the Ziz riverbed, its watercourse has long been used to facilitate human transit through the mountainous region.

Cities along the Ziz river include Er Rachidia, Erfoud and Sijilmassa. There is a dam with hydroelectric generating capacity on the Ziz at the south face of the High Atlas Mountains.

Water rights

Along the Ziz there is typically a common water rights rule, wherein each village and villager is entitled to a fair use and extraction of Ziz waters. Characteristically water is diverted in flatter areas to form a canal that irrigates palm groves and other crops as well as supplies domestic use.

See also

• Sijilmasa, a historically important city founded on the banks of the Ziz river