One of the first rock art sites discovered and now protected in Morocco : the case of Azrou Iklane (Assa region, Morocco)
Résumé
Most people interested in Moroccan rock art know and have visited the Azrou Iklane site. The country's scientific stakeholders have expressed the need to complete the inventory of archaeological sites and develop a systematic mapping service for cultural and archaeological sites. Inscription on the national heritage list is one of the levers made available by existing bodies to combat the looting and degradation of this cultural wealth, which is also an economic resource. A project to inscribe the Tighmert Oasis and its surroundings on the World Heritage List was submitted in July 2016 by the Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO. In addition to a local identity interest in their heritage, local development stakeholders expect economic benefits from these measures through tourism development. The Azrou Iklane site was thus inscribed on the national heritage list in 2017.