Land sights in Africa

1. Place Lalla Aouda

   • Meknès, Morocco
   • Sights › Land

   South of Bab el-Mansour lies the mechouar (parade ground), now known as Place Lalla Aouda , where Moulay Ismail inspected his famed Black Guard. After bringing 16,000 slaves from sub-Saharan Africa, Moulay Ismail guaranteed the continued existence of his elite units by providing the soldiers with women and raising their offspring for service in the guard. By the time of his death, the Black Guard had expanded tenfold.

   Its successes were many, ranging from quelling internal rebellions, to chasing European powers out of northern Morocco, to disposing of the Ottoman Turk threat from Algeria.

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2. Dune Fields

   • Swakopmund, Namibia
   • Sights › Land

   A fascinating short hike will take you across the Swakop River to the large dune fields south of town. The dune formations and unique vegetation are great for exploring and with a dune cart or a sheet of masonite, you can spend hours sledding down the slopes. The Alternative Space (budget accommodation) loans dune carts to its guests, and several tour companies offer sandboarding and quadbiking.

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