Taroudant Holidays

Taroudant means "Grandmother of Marrakech" so named as it is a scaled down, slowed down town that resembles Marrakech with its surrounding ramparts. Unlike Marrakech, Taroudant contains almost the whole city within its walls.

Taroudant is a charming town with ruddy, clay houses, minarets and groves of oranges and pomegranates, with a backdrop of the frosted High Atlas to the north and the Anti-Atlas to the south. The best way to see the town is by horse-drawn carriage especially at dusk. The city is awash with gold, pink and orange hues.

The souks are not large but they are varied; there is a strong tradition of local craft and much of the work here is of outstanding quality. Market days are on Thursdays and Sundays and Berber handicrafts and souvenirs are great buys, as the prices here are very reasonable.

Taroudant was at its height under the Saadi Dynasty, especially under the reign of Mohammed ash-Sheikh, who constructed the city walls and built the great mosque and its beautiful minaret in 1528. A sad event in the history of Taroudant was the massacre of its population by Moulay Ismail in 1687.