Bleida mine

The Bleïda copper mine is located in the SE of the Bou Azzer-El Grâara inlier, in the Central Anti-Atlas, about fifteen kilometers as the crow flies from the village of Bleïda and 160 km from Ouarzazate City. In addition to the famous cobalt  mine of Bou Azzer, the Bleïda copper deposit has greatly contributed to the strong mining reputation of the Bou Azzer-El Grâara inlier. This site has attracted attention since the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the numerous trenches, slag, traces of ancient furnaces, and the ruins of the Guelb Tassawt mining village, east of Bleïda.
The first research works supported by modern technologies date back to 1971. The mining operations were halted in 1997 due to the depletion of sulfide ore reserves. Following the development of an innovative oxide treatment process by the R&D Center of the group, the site was reopened in 2008 and serves as a platform for processing copper oxides from several deposits of the Infracambrian carbonate cover.