Dakhla | town

Western Sahara / Wad-ad-Dahab / ad-Dahlah /
also: ad-Dakhla, Dkhila, Dajla or Dajala (in the spanish transcription)
the Arabic name الداخلة‎ from Dakhlet(= bay /the leading out/ which opens to . . .)

Spanish settlers founded here a trading post and port as Villa Cisneros in 1502 (also: Cisnero). When the Spaniards abandoned their colony "Rio de Oro" and later: "Spanish Sahara" (from 1885 - 1975), the originally Arabic name of the peninsula was given in 1976 by the Mauritanians and then by the Moroccans also to the town.

In this time, the city became also the new home of the most of the families of the nomadic, camel-breeding Wlad Delim. Only their herds remained with the shepherds in the pastures that stretch from here to the south and west up to the Mauritanian borders.

Todays main economic activity is fishing, tourism and agricultural businesses in the surrounding area. In recent years the area of the bay has become a centre for aquatic sports, such as kitesurfing, windsurfing and surf casting.
Dakhla is actualy the capital of the southern province of Morocco Oued-Eddahab (Wad-ad-Dahab)

the place of a provisional liaison office of MINURSO


Photos:www.panoramio.com/photo/55195982, 36076266, 35992021 and 1497127
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakhla
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   23°42'29"N   15°56'44"W

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This article was last modified 11 years ago