The city of Taroudant is sometimes called “Little Marrakesh”, as both cities have charm and beauty. Taroudant lies about a three hour drive south of Marrakesh, and has an impressive walled center. While Marrakesh is a huge bustling city with thousands of tourists, Taroudant is a smaller community (of about 80,000) and is relatively lightly touristed, so it offers the opportunity to experience an authentic and relatively unspoiled market town that caters more to local Berbers than tourists.
Taroudant is known for its tall ramparts; within its walls you’ll find the medina (historic quarter), which is a Moroccan cultural heritage monument . It’s also where you find an extensive network of busy markets.. The heart of the city is Assarag Place Plaza, and it is here that we were dropped off and began our exploration of the city’s markets.
In the municipal market (also known as the Berber Souk), you will find food and items used in Moroccan households: dried fruits, buckets of spices, kitchen items, etc. Across the square, the older “Arab” market is where you will find local handicrafts such as ceramics, metal products and leather goods. My wandering was not grid-like and I can’t tell you exactly where the photos in this blog were taken, except that it was in all within the Taroudant Medina.
The markets are quite extensive and generally shaded, which is appreciated on a hot sunny day. The produce is fresh and delicious, and other items were quite interesting.
What follows is a collection of photos from the markets in Taroudant:
Taroudant is a nice place to stop, shop, relax in, and have a great Moroccan experience.
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