The Atlas are the most northerly of Africa's mountains, extending in a broken chain for over 1000 miles across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The High Atlas, home of the highest peaks in North Africa, is the western part of the range. Here the peaks, a dozen of them over 13,000 feet, form a complex of jagged ridges and deep narrow valleys running 250 miles across Morocco. The Atlas Mountains separate the northern moist Mediterranean climate from the arid south. Northward the mountains drop steeply, while southward they slope gradually into the hot, dry Sahara, which stretches for over a thousand miles. From the ancient city of Marrakech, the Atlas skyline stretches across the horizon, creating a backdrop of inspiring beauty. Toubkal (13,665 ft.), North Africa's highest mountain, is only 50 miles south of Marrakech. The High Atlas has been inhabited for thousands of years by a pastoral people known as the Berbers, but who call themselves Shleuh. They live in small villages of flat-roofed sun-baked mud houses, usually situated atop steep mountain slopes. Speaking Berber, Arabic, and French, they are as interesting and welcoming as they are knowledgeable of the mountains. Despite a scarcity of roads, most of the major mountains are easily accessible. The approach to the mountains is short, and there are mountain huts, plenty of guides, good trails, and mules to carry gear.