Taroudannt
POP 70,000
Taroudannt (also spelled Taroudant) is sometimes called ‘Little Marrakesh’, but that description
doesn’t do the Souss Valley trading centre justice. Hidden by magnificent red-mud walls, and
with the snowcapped peaks of the High Atlas beckoning beyond, Taroudannt’s souqs and
squares have a healthy sprinkling of Maghrebi mystique. Yet it is also a practical place, a
market town where Berbers trade the produce of the rich and fertile Oued Souss basin.
There aren’t any must-see sights. Instead, the medina is a place to stroll and linger. The two
souqs are well worth a browse, more laid-back than Marrakesh, but with an atmosphere of
activity that is missing in Agadir, 80km away. The town also makes an excellent base for
trekking into the little-explored western High Atlas.