Errachidia city is a practical landmark in the journey toward Azna and, later, a possible source of morgue services. The novel gives it significance through uncertainty and logistics rather than through a detailed portrait of the city itself: its name helps orient travelers who are lost, and it enters the aftermath of a road accident as a possible point of collection for a body.

A Landmark on the Route

Close to midnight, the travelers pull over unsure how far they are from Errachidia or the Midelt fossil market. They have been told that the small turnoff to Azna lies nearer to Errachidia, but that clue does not resolve their uncertainty about where they are or which road to take. The distance is not supplied, and the city remains a point of orientation rather than a destination they reach.

Their confusion continues as they consult a map that does not mark Azna. One possibility is to turn toward Tafnet, but the directions they received did not mention it; at the fork, both branches appear to peter out. Errachidia’s role in this passage is indirect but important: it anchors the travelers’ uncertain search, while the unmarked destination and unclear roads keep them from turning that reference into reliable navigation.

A Possible Morgue

After a man is hit by a car, Richard tells Dally that there is a morgue in Errachidia and suggests that a pickup might come from there. The exchange makes the city part of the practical response to the accident, but only as a possibility. The narrative does not confirm that the injured man dies, that a vehicle arrives from Errachidia, or that the body is taken there.

Narrative Significance

Errachidia city appears at moments when characters need dependable infrastructure or direction but possess incomplete information. On the road, its name offers only a rough bearing toward Azna; in the aftermath of the collision, it offers a tentative lead about where a morgue may be found. In both instances, the city is invoked as a point beyond the immediate scene, and the uncertainty attached to it underscores how little control the characters have over their journey and its consequences.