About Taroudant
Nestled in the fertile Souss plain between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas mountains, Taroudant was once an important Saadian capital before Marrakech assumed that role. Its 16th-century ramparts — nearly 7km of crenellated red-ochre walls — encircle an old city that has changed little in centuries. The comparison with Marrakech (just 2.5 hours away) is inevitable and instructive: Taroudant has the atmosphere of the great imperial city as it might have been 50 years ago — authentic, unhurried, and genuinely welcoming.
The city has two main souks — the Arab souk and the Berber souk — each with its own character and specialties. The Berber market is particularly notable for its argan oil products, locally-made silver jewellery, and the distinctive hand-woven blankets of the Souss region. The spice stalls overflow with saffron (the region produces excellent quality), cumin, rose petals, and the blended ras el hanout that perfumes every Moroccan kitchen.
The Souss Valley surrounding Taroudant is a landscape of immense agricultural richness — argan trees, citrus groves, almond orchards, and saffron fields stretching toward the mountains on either side. The High Atlas, snow-capped for much of the year, provides a dramatic northern horizon, while the Anti-Atlas ranges to the south create the perfect sheltered microclimate for agriculture. The valley road toward Agadir passes through some of the most beautiful and unspoiled countryside in southern Morocco.
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