Bhalil Cave Dwellings

Useful Information

Location:	Bhalil, 30 min from Fez. (33.850275824154790, -4.872110492374787)
Open:	after appointment. [2024]
Fee:	after appointment. [2024]
Classification:	Cave House
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	after appointment
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:
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History

Description

Bhalil is a small picturesque village of about 1,500 inhabitants, where most of the residents live in two or three room stone homes, perched on the valley walls. The walls are awash in pastel hues of pink, yellow and blue. But the real attraction is the interior of several houses: about 40 families live in caves carved from the mountainside hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, the cave houses are quickly vanishing, their inhabitants prefer to live in more modern housing.

The villages' only tour guide is named Mohammed Chraibi. He is one of these cave dwellers living in a cave home with his children and in-laws. This cave is furnished with the amenities of modern life, including a radio, television and refrigerator.

As far as we know, there are no official cave houses, local tour guides typically know someone living in such a cave who will show his home for a small fee and answer questions. If you travel without a guide, some French or Arabic would be mandatory to ask around. Hopefully one of the caves will be transformed into a museum when the last cave dwellers have moved to normal houses.