#tislit

Once upon a time, in the heart of the Atlas mountains, there was a young girl named Tislit. Tislit was stunningly beautiful, full of life and always had a smile on her face. One day her whole world was turned upside down. While taking the family's sheep outside, she met a young shepherd. They spoke and laughed with each other, but then they asked each other which tribe they belonged to, and they found out their tribes were sworn enemies. Isli were a son of th Aït Yazza tribe, and Tislit were a daughter of the Aït Brahim tribe. 

But they kept meeting in secret, because since the first time they met, all they could think about was each other. One day Tislit revealed her love for Isli to the only person she could trust, her mother. Her mother said she was going to discuss it with her father, but told her not to hold her breath, it was mission impossible. Later the same day in the neighboring village, Isli explained to his father that he wanted to ask Isli, a girl of the other tribe, to marry her. But neither Tislits or Islis parents accepted this union, it would lead to war and devestation. 

Heartbroken, they knew it would be impossible to live apart. One moonlightened night they secretly met on a hill between the two villages. Tislit arrived before him, and when Isli arrived he saw her crying desperately. He knew there was nothing that would change the decision of their parents, so he suddenly burst into tears as well. Their flow of tears was said to create two lakes under the moutains hills, and it was there that the young lovers exchanged vows and finally drowned themselves to be spared from a life apart and in heartache. 

Their warring families were going to explode of guilt, and the tribes elders, determined that it would never happen again, granted their youth the right to choose their own life partner. The twin lakes, which bear the names of Isli and Tislit, are just north of the town Imilchil. And because of this legend, to this day, the Aït Hdiddou (Aït Yazza and Aït Brahim are branches of that larger tribe) tribes celebrate a moussem engagement festival, where young men and women can meet and engage, sur place, right there. This moussem is one of the most beautiful and original popular gatherings in Morocco.