CH. Tin. ZAOUIA OF MOULAi IBRAHIM. 191 



confirmed by the statements of the natives, led Us to think 

 that all the streams from the Reraya district flow north- 

 westward after entering the plain, and unite with those 

 from the districts of Gurgouri and Amsmiz to form the 

 river Oued Nyfs, which we had passed at Misra ben Kara ; 

 the same name, variously pronounced Oued Enfist or Oued 

 Enfisk, being applied to several of the separate torrents 

 above referred to. It will be remarked that the name 

 Oued Enfist is merely an anagramma.tic form of Oued 

 Tensift, the main river that drains all this portion of the 

 Great Atlas ; and it is a question whether the natives do 

 not apply the same name, with the usual laxity as to the 

 order of the consonants, to all the afHuents of the prin- 

 cipal stream. 



After descending some way on the western side of the 

 ridge, we came in sight of a large village perclied on the 

 summit of a hill, on the opposite side of the stream that 

 ran at a great depth below us. This we soon learned to 

 be Moulai Ibrahim, a zaouia, or sanctuary, much venerated 

 in all this part of !Marocco, governed by a sherreef, belong- 

 ing to the family of the saint whose tomb is the chief 

 building of the village. This semi-independent sherreef 

 gave permission to jM. Balansa to remain in the village 

 for some days in 1867 ; but just as that active traveller 

 was prepared to attempt to penetrate into the interior of 

 the chain, an order from El Graoui made it necessary for 

 him to depart, and follow the direct way to Marocco. As 

 we came in sight of the zaouia, each of our troop, Shell uh 

 as well as Moor, commenced to recite prayers, and then, 

 after prostrating himself on the ground, with his face 

 towards the sanctuary, proceeded to add a stone to certain 

 heaps that stood beside the track. The Berebers, in 

 general, are said to be very lax in conforming to the 

 precepts of the Koran, but they are as assiduous in their 

 show of reverence for saints and sanctuaries as the Moors 

 themselves, and it would appear that this is the only 

 practical form in which their religion exhibits itself. 



