D2
C4
C4
B3C4
B3
C4
A3
B2C1
A4
B3
B1HISTORIC SITE Sleeping
4 Bab el Maader
5 Camping Municipal
6 Hôtel de Paris
7 Hôtel des Touristes Eating
8 Complex Tiznit Essaada
9 Food Market
10 Idou Tiznit Supermarket
11 La Ville Nouvelle
12 Snack Stands Shopping
13 Bijouterie Bab el-Khemis
14 Ensemble Artisanal
15 Jewellery Souq
16 Trésor du SudHistory
In 1881 Sultan Moulay al-Hassan (1873–94) founded Tiznit as a base from which to assert his
authority over the rebellious Berber tribes of the south. To do this, he built the town’s perimeter
walls. Jewish silversmiths were moved into the town and gave it a reputation for silver
workmanship.
However, Tiznit remained embroiled in local sedition, and was a centre of dissent against the
1912 treaty that turned Morocco into a French and Spanish protectorate. This resistance
movement was led by El-Hiba, the so-called ‘Blue Sultan’ from the Western Sahara, who
earned his nickname for always wearing his Saharawi veil.
Following Sultan Moulay Hafid’s capitulation to the French at the Treaty of Fès, El-Hiba
proclaimed himself sultan here in 1912. The southern tribes rose to support him and El-Hiba
marched north at the head of an army of men from the Tuareg and Anti Atlas tribes. They were
welcomed as liberators in Marrakesh, but much of the army was slaughtered by the French as
it moved towards Fez. El-Hiba retreated to Taroudannt, then Tiznit, then up into the Anti Atlas,
where he pursued a campaign of resistance against the French until his death in 1919.
Sights & Activities
Tiznit is a sleepy place with a medina where it is fun to wander around spots such as the
jewellery souq and Rue Imzilne, a street of leather-sandal shops. The Berber traders here are
tough salesmen, but it is still worth trying to strike a bargain. Things liven up considerably on
Thursday, which is market day.
City Walls
It’s possible to climb onto sections of the 5km-long city walls, which have some 30 towers and
nine gates. From Bab Targua Offline map Google map , for instance, you get a great view over