Gara Medouar, also known as Jebel Mudawwar ("round mountain"), Gara Mdouar or Mdoura,[1] is a horseshoe-shaped geological formation ("erosion cirque") near Sijilmasa, Morocco. In the 11th century it was developed into a fortress with a military garrison that likely protected the nearby trade city of Sijilmasa, where gold coins were minted, and the trade routes from the south. Representatives of the Almoravid dynasty likely had the fortifications built, which included a wall of up to 12 metres high that closed off the only opening to the massif, two walls and defensive structures along the mountains, dams in the canyons to collect water, and a variety of structures on the plateaus.