10:13 Jul 23, 2011 

a very idiosyncratic use of the word. I've never seen it used in this sense.

19:34 Jul 22, 2011 

was my original hunch but I just wasn't sure. It does seem to fit the context now the client has clarified and is a set phrase in this kind of writing:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?rlz=1C1AVSX_enGB392GB392&sour...

11:26 Jul 22, 2011 

Thanks for your help everyone. I decided to consult the client because there was so much discrepancy between interpretations and no real way of knowing who's was closest. It turns out that it simply means "particularly noted for its beauty" (basically a synonym of "destacada belleza").

09:14 Jul 22, 2011 

having considered Cecilia's understanding of "jalonada", it occurs to me they are saying it is a beautiful place "staked out in the middle of nowhere"... in other words, you come upon it suddenly and expectedly in the middle of the desert... it does seem that "jalonada" is referring to the surprise of coming across this place amidst miles of sand.

07:35 Jul 22, 2011 

es colocar "jalones" (varas para marcar puntos fijos), que en sentido figurado son "hitos" (jalonado de peligros, triunfos, tragedias, paseos). Es decir: aparecen constantemente a lo largo de un trayecto o trayectoria. No tiene nada que ver con "rugged".

21:08 Jul 21, 2011 

20:53 Jul 21, 2011 

Thanks for your help, James. The text doesn't mention the Atlas Mountains, but the place is located in the Skoura Palm Grove in the Oued Dades Valley, which is not too far to the south of the mountains.

19:03 Jul 21, 2011 

Just a thought. I know you say the kasbah is being built at an oasis, but does the text mention anything about the Atlas Mountains at all? Just struck me that "jalonar" (marked) might be referring to the "rugged beauty" of the surrounding mountains...