The city of Ouarzazate

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The city of Ouarzazate

Duration

3 days / 2 nights

Starting point

Marrakech

End point

Marrakech

Description

The city of Ouarzazate stands out for its great historic value, especially the Kasbah of Taourirt, the former palace of the El Glaoui family. This clan controlled important caravan routes between southern and western Africa and was granted wide powers during the French colonial period. Built in the 19th century, the Kasbah of Taourirt reached its peak in the 1930s, when the Glaoui’s influence was at its height.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

Tourism in Ouarzazate

Although it stands at a strategic crossroads of the caravan routes, the Kasbah of Taourirt was never the Glaoui’s main residence. Other family members lived here, such as sons and cousins, along with hundreds of servants, builders and craftsmen. The complex has about 300 rooms and once housed more than 20 riads. Today it is partly in ruins and its rear section is still inhabited by a few families. The old palace area, restored with the help of UNESCO, is the part that can be visited: from a central courtyard you can explore the old reception rooms, the harem and the kitchens. The upper terraces offer magnificent views of the kasbah, the Ouarzazate river and the High Atlas Mountains.