Little Marrakech — intact ramparts, Souss valley saffron, and half the crowds
Taroudant is often called 'Little Marrakech' because it has much of what makes the big city appealing — a functioning medina, busy souks, excellent riad accommodation, the backdrop of the High Atlas — without the industry-scale tourist crush. Its 16th-century pisé (rammed-earth) ramparts are the most intact city walls in Morocco, enclosing a genuinely lived-in medina where the souks still serve the local Souss Berber community first and tourists second. The Souss-Massa plain around it produces the majority of Morocco's fruits and vegetables, and the surrounding argan forests produce Morocco's…
Taroudant served as the first capital of the Saadian dynasty in the 16th century before they moved to Marrakech; it was from here that the Saadians launched their conquest of Timbuktu in 1591. The city's fortunes declined after the capital moved, and it remained a provincial market town — which inadvertently preserved its medina and ramparts in near-original condition. The surrounding Souss valley was the heartland of the Tachelhit-speaking Souss Berbers, one of the most commercially successful Berber groups, who established trading networks across Morocco and beyond. Sultan Moulay Ismail sac…