[2] Erosion has washed away all loose material, leaving only spurs, and the gara presents itself as essentially a funnel with the constituent canyons leading toward a single exit.

It is here that Paul Pascon thought he recognized four towers—there is, in reality, only one construction that can be called a tower, the bastion at the northern end of the low wall.

In all, the defensive works evidence careful planning, architectural mastery, and a good sense of how best to exploit natural features.

In addition to being a well-protected fort, its high ground also offers far-reaching control over the surrounding area—from the heights of Mudawwar, one can survey an area with a radius of about 50 km (31 mi).

That they are dams and not walls is proven by their position, as well as their construction: on the uphill side, they are covered by a layer of mortar whose density indicates it was a water barrier.

The combined evidence of walls and dams and possibly associated constructions indicate the massif became a fortress that could have withstood a siege lasting a few months, depending on the season.

A tentative assessment is that most of the buildings on the plateaus were houses, built during a short space of time, possibly a large governmental campaign.

Its layout was quite different from all the other buildings, having a series of three rooms that were accessible from each other, rather than from the central space, in a style of architecture rarely found in the east but often in the west, particularly in the Iraq of the Abbasid Caliphate.

The buildings, in their layout, construction, and spacing, suggest an elite occupied that part of the massif; the plateau itself already has characteristics that set it apart from the others: higher than the others, it offers a view of the defensive works (the low wall), the other structures in the area, the oasis of Tafilalt, and the peak of the Tizi/Mkhazni.

The combination of a set of dwellings whose variety indicates social hierarchy suggests Gara Medouar was not just a defensive works, but also an important habitation.

Its defensive structures and buildings date from the time when Sijilmasa and its surrounding area were incorporated into the Almoravid dynasty, whose representatives likely ordered the construction, as evidenced by the standardized floor plans.

Pascon first visited the site in 1952 when he spent a few hours at the location, long enough to allow him to write up a description in which he listed a defensive wall, four towers, four dams, and various other constructions; he considered the place a stronghold.