206km (128 miles) S of Fes; 193km (120 miles) S of Meknes; 133km (83 miles) N of Er Rachidia
Quietly sitting on the high plains to the south of the Middle Atlas, Midelt is a convenient stopover between Fes and Meknes to the north and Er Rachidia and Erfoud to the south. The town itself lacks any great appeal, but the surrounding countryside offers some beautiful landscapes and pictures of rural Berber life. Midelt is a French creation -- second in the country after Casablanca to receive electricity -- built to coordinate the large-scale mining of lead and gypsum in the area. The region is now a major fruit-growing area; most of the country's apples, walnuts, apricots, and plums come from here. All of this is largely incidental to the traveler, however, who generally arrives late in the day, beds down for the night, and continues on the next day to destinations better known.
