It lies northwest of the city of Meknes and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Sidi Slimane, upstream from Dar bel Amri.

The dam impounds the Oued Beht (or Beth), the last major tributary of the Sebou River before its mouth.

[3] The site of the dam was a deep, narrow gorge that the Beth had cut through the limestone bordering on the lowlands.

Winter floods of the Beth had created large merdjas on the Sebou's left bank, which would be ideal for cultivation once irrigation water was available.

[4] At first the colonial agriculture and public works administrations opposed construction of this and other dams, but the main settlers, led by Gaston Lebault, pushed the project forward.

The job was complicated by the difficulty of conducting deep excavation near the foundation and problems with making the new concrete bond to the old.