Tbourida, the equestrian art that blends tradition, spirituality and military heritage, is one of the most spectacular folk expressions of Morocco, wrote on Friday the Argentine daily "La Nacion" in an article dubbed "Tbourida, an equestrian art that makes the soul of Morocco gallop."
"The rumble of gunfire echoing across the Moroccan sky does not signal the start of a war, but rather the beginning of a festival: Tbourida, listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO," the author of the report, Enrique Villegas, added.
Emphasizing that this ancestral art is present at all Moussems, "the festivals that animates the Kingdom's towns and countryside", the newspaper noted that the horse is the "undisputed protagonist of the Tbourida, as it occupies a key spot, charged with profound symbolic significance in Islam. Its nobility and being mentioned in the Quran provide it with a spiritual and historical dimension."
"The Tbourida reflects an ancient combat tactic: groups of horsemen galloping at full speed simulate a charge, simultaneously firing shots into the air, then retreating with great accuracy."
The maneuver, once used for military purposes, has become a parade of honor, immortalized in the 19th century by the painter Eugène Delacroix to welcome honored guests.
"Today, this art is expressed as a competition between squadrons "the Sorbas" who compete in synchronization, elegance, and panache," he observed.
The newspaper then describedthe precise sequence of events during the show: "On a vast sand enclosure, the horses race at full speed for several hundred meters, driven by the enthusiasm of their riders. Each sorba has between 15 and 25 participants, always an odd number so that the leader is in the center. The riders wear caftans, turbans, and slippers, while their mounts are adorned with richly decorated harnesses."
The climax is the Baroud, the final shot into the sky that triggers a deafening explosion, immediately greeted by the cheers of the crowd. This moment of collective ecstasy has earned the Tbourida its other name: the "fantasia." More than just a show, it is an affirmation of identity, tribal pride, and religious devotion that, with each performance, rekindles the flame of the Moroccan soul.
The fifteen or so photos illustrating the article in La Nacion capture the precise moment when the guns fire. The determined, focused faces of the riders and the tension of the galloping horses convey the discipline and control required to achieve perfection in this collective shooting event, known as the Baroud.
Other photos highlight the inclusive and intergenerational nature of the Tbourida: women riders in red or white, riding confidently, participate in the same events as their male counterparts. Their proud and determined presence illustrates the evolution of this ancestral tradition, which now combines tribal heritage and contemporary aspirations.
The final moment, the Baroud, is a sonic explosion followed by cheers from the crowd. The published photos faithfully reflect a moment of communion in which identity, pride, and devotion combine in a single breath, reaffirming the place of the Tbourida as a living pillar of Moroccan heritage.
MAP: 16 August 2025
