Taroudant (, ) is a city in the Sous in southwestern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. It is situated east of

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

on the road to Ouarzazate and south of

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

. Today, it is a small market town and a tourist destination.

History

The Almoravids occupied the town in 1056. In the mid-15th century the Banu Zaydan, the family who later founded the

Saadi dynasty The Saadi Sultanate (), also known as the Sharifian Sultanate (), was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of Northwest Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was led by the Saadi dynasty, an Arab Sharifism, Sharifian dynasty. ...

, established themselves near Taroudant in a settlement called Tidsi, which served briefly as the base of the dynasty's first leader, al-Qa'im, until 1513. According to Moroccan news media, the current layout of the city walls dates to the Saadi period in the 16th century. In the 17th century, Taroudant was the base of Sidi Yahya, a local chieftain who successfully aided the Saadi sultan Moulay Zaydan against Abu Mahalli, a rebel who had captured

. The city underwent economic decline after the port of Agadir was closed to commerce in 1760. In the late 19th century, Sultan Hassan I established more secure control of the city. At the beginning of the 20th century it resisted government control again until '' qa'id'' Tayyeb al-Goundafi restored order in 1903. When France began to impose its protectorate on Morocco in 1912, Ahmed al-Hiba used Taroudant as his capital to resist the French. The French only established control over it in 1917. Historically, there was a Jewish community in Taroudant, believed to have been established in the 11th century. Jews made up 10% of the city's population, and mainly engaged in the caravan trade. Moses ben Maimon Albas was a prominent Jewish Kabbalist from Taroudant.

Climate

On 11 August 2023, a maximum temperature of was registered.

Economy

Today, Taroudant is a notable market town with a souk near each of its two main squares, Assarag and Talmoklate. There is also a weekly souk outside the city walls, near the future university district.

Landmarks

The

medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

(historic quarter) of Taroudant is classified as a national cultural heritage monument of Morocco. Its historic city walls are around or long and are set with bastions and punctuated by nine gates that are still in use.

Notable people

* Sana Akroud (born 1980), actress, filmmaker, screenwriter, film producer * Moses ben Maimon Albas (16th century), kabbalist * Ahmed Soultan, singer

References

External links

Official web site of Taroudant Province
{{Authority control Municipalities of Morocco Taroudant Taroudant