Mankind’s ancestor still sleeps at Jbel Irhoud
Jbel Irhroud is now part of world history. The mountain, home to a barite quarry, became the cradle of mankind in June 2017. «The remains of primitive Homo sapiens have been discovered here, along with stone tools and faunal remains. Dating back some 315,000 years, the human fossils represent the oldest traces of our species known to date. This scientific discovery of worldwide significance has revolutionized available knowledge…», says a pale sign at the entrance to the site (see photo).
The only official indication that we are indeed in the land where the history of paleontology has been turned upside down. The world’s press relayed this major event in chorus. «The men of Jebel Irhoud have dethroned Omo I and Omo II, discovered at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia and dated to around 195,000 years ago», reported the magazine Sciences et Avenirs in its January 11, 2018 edition.
Behind world history lies a family history. Going to the cradle of mankind with your children was an adventure. Why go? To «get to know» an ancestor; to escape the fatalism of «all-inclusive» vacations; to discover a Morocco that exists on the map but is not always omnipresent in the minds of decision-makers…
First hurdle: finding your way to the prehistoric site. Google Maps lists two localities named Ighroud. The first concerns the commune and its eponymous mountain, 66 km from the coastal town of Safi on the Atlantic coast. The second is also a mountain at an altitude of 1,900 meters (6,233 feet), located in the Middle Atlas Mountains.
Jbel Irhoud or Ighroud gives its name to this rural locality of around 23,000 inhabitants, according to the latest 2014 General Census of Population and Housing. There are no signs to guide you to the site. So you have to ask for directions. The easiest way is towards the junction of the roads leading to Safi and Marrakech. A track on the edge of the road leads to a quarry. This is where Jbel Irhoud and its site are located.
Imagine what it would be like in the USA!
Barbary squirrels are on hand to welcome us! A heritage interpretation center is under construction six years after the discovery by paleontologists Abdelouahed Ben-Ncer and Jean-Jacques Hublin.
In October 2018, an agreement had provided for an investment of 310 million Dirhams (USD 31 million) in particular for the improvement of the site which is currently closed to visitors, but visible, despite a swinging door blocking access.
«The creation of this structure will provide a focal point for prehistoric research throughout Africa», Azouz Boujamid, Regional Director of Culture for Marrakech-Safi, told the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) agency on July 21, 2020. Work was scheduled to start in August or September of the same year.
Leaving the construction site, visitors can easily hike to the top of the 600-metre-high mountain. The caves that emerge from its heart are not prehistoric. «They were dug by the locals in search of minerals. It’s one of their rare sources of income after six years of drought. We still have to sell them to visitors who venture into our hamlet», explained a young man from the Zâitrat hamlet, who spontaneously accompanied us, probably to stave off boredom. Don’t go down to the caves, as there is a risk of landslides.
At the top of the site, vast stony plateaus open up to view. These endless spaces are dotted with eucalyptus and acacia trees.
Quite an original relief for a lover of Moroccan geography. Apart from nature, there’s nothing else. Imagine what it would be like if Jbel Irhoud were in the USA! Special mention goes to the three El Imami brothers, who keep the place lively with the means at their disposal. This is an ideal place for taking photos and saying: «I was at the home of the Grandfather of Mankind». «Our brother Rachid has assembled the bones, in particular the large human skull», explains one of the brothers.
So do not forget to tip or buy a mineral, « décor « as it is called in the region, to show solidarity and encourage initiative. The El Imami brothers are truly doing territorial marketing at their humble level. They do it with conviction and far from empty rhetoric! These modest entrepreneurs have also set up a cooperative in this desolate region of El Youssoufia province. A real lesson in courage and fighting spirit. The grandfather of Mankind can be proud of his offspring.
Faiçal FAQUIHI
