Discover Midelt: Apple Growing and History

Midelt has long been an important agricultural centre. Agriculture is based mainly on apple growing, and the apple festival is held every October. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check details of the current edition in advance. Apple growing and festival culture give the town a clear focus: cultivation shapes its agriculture, and the festival is a recurring date in the annual calendar.

Local history and religious presence

Before the Protectorate period, Midelt consisted of a number of ksour along the Oued Outat. They were inhabited predominantly by Amazigh people of the Aït Zdeg group. Midelt is also recorded as a strategic passage on the route connecting Sijilmassa in the south with Meknès in the north, dating from before the Protectorate. These are two distinct historical perspectives: the settlements along the Oued Outat and the north–south route between two named places. Those interested in local history will find concrete connections to settlement patterns and former routes.

Another local landmark is the Cistercian priory Prieuré N.-D. de l’Atlas, located in Midelt. As a religious institution, it adds another dimension to the town alongside its agricultural and historical perspectives. Together, these are distinct aspects: the longstanding importance of apple growing, earlier settlement and transport patterns, and a religious site.

Khenifra Province as a distinct regional context

Khénifra National Park opened in 2008 and covers 93,000 hectares. It lies between the provinces of Khénifra and Ifrane. The park’s landscape alternates between forest formations, open treeless areas and wet meadows that turn into true meadowlands in spring. Its vegetation includes Morocco’s largest cedar forest formation, as well as stands of holm oak, zeen oak and maritime pine. Juniper and hawthorn grow in the open areas. Across Khenifra Province as a whole, 50 percent of Morocco’s cedars grow there; Khénifra National Park protects this resource. Forest, open land and wet meadows represent different landscapes within this regional nature theme.

Khenifra Province also offers a distinct setting for fishing trips to lakes and rivers. These include the lakes Aguelmane Aziza, Tiguelmamine, Ouiouane and Aguelmane Abakhane, as well as rivers that flow into the Oued Oum Errabia and its tributaries. Together, they form a network of areas for fishing trips. The focus is on both lakes and flowing waters—a different emphasis from Midelt’s apple growing and local history.

Choose the right focus for your trip

When looking for a holiday rental in Midelt, it helps to consider which interests you would like to prioritise on your trip. Would you like your stay to focus mainly on Midelt’s apple growing and local history, or would you also like to include the nature and fishing themes of Khenifra Province in your travel plans? This distinction keeps Midelt in focus while setting it apart from the broader regional context.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Ain Taoujdate, Arougou, Khénifra, Agoudal, Hassilabied, Boudenib, Tamalout, Zaida

For the broader travel overview: Meknès-Tafilalet.