Figuig or Figig (; Figuig Berber: Ifeyyey) is an oasis town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria. The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called Tazdayt, meaning "palm tree" in the Berber language, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness. Modernization has somewhat raised the standard of living, and drawn much of the town's population away, so that it is now struggling to reach stability. Its population in 2014 was 10,872, down from a peak of 14,571 in 1982. The Ksour Range is a mountainous area extending between Figuig and El Bayadh. Population The majority population of Figuig speaks a Berber dialect, Figuig Berber, a Zenati variety including many Arabic elements. Some women speak only in this language, while men also speak Moroccan Arabic. Figuig Berber is understood by Berber speakers from the area of Aïn Sefra in the east to the Atlas in the west. The Sanhaja have left their traces in the toponymy (the mountain, the pass and the village which bear the name of Zenaga are witnesses). In addition to Berber-speaking sedentary people, the population of the oases includes many "marabouts" who call themselves sharifs and have played an important role in social cohesion over the past centuries, softening feuds and quarrels between villages or within villages. A third element of the population is the Harratins gathered in Zenaga where they live in a particular neighborhood: Al-Hahda. They are workers of inferior status, responsible for the maintenance of the foggaras and, in general, the main agricultural works in the palm plantation. The descendants of slaves are often confused with the Harratins. The small Jewish Berber population, formerly gathered in the two mellahs of Zenaga and Udaghir, has practically disappeared. There were 5,000 subjects at the beginning of the twentieth century. Aghrem Figuig consists of seven different communities (Ighermawen in Figuig Berber dialect) which are: At-Wadday, At-Amar, At-Lamiz, At-Sliman, At-Annaj, At-Addi, Iznayen. A community territory is called an Aghram, which is the word some local Berbers use to describe themselves in their tongue; plural Igramawan. The communities are usually made up of a fortified group of houses. Many Aghrams are designed with defensive measures like watch-towers and heavy doors on the main entrances, which are closed at night, as well as a mazelike layout, called an Abrid (meaning "pathway" in Berber), which makes navigation for unwanted intruders extremely difficult. Homes, or