Taroudant
CountryMorocco
RegionSouss-Massa
ProvinceTaroudant
Unit prefmetric
Population as of2014
Population total80149
Population demonymRoudani
Time zoneWET (UTC+0)
Time zone (DST)WEST (UTC+1)
Coordinates30°28′15.59″N 8°52′50.16″W
Elevation238 m
Postal code83000

Taroudant (Arabic: تارودانت, taːruːdaːnt) is a city in the Sous in southwestern Morocco. It is situated east of Agadir on the road to Ouarzazate and south of Marrakesh. Today, it is a small market town and a tourist destination.[1][2]

History

Ancient period

It has been speculated that Taroudant is the same town known as Vala or Uala, which existed in ancient Mauretania.[3]

Medieval period

The Almoravids occupied the town in 1056.[1] In the mid-15th century the Banu Zaydan, the family who later founded the Saadi 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.[4][5][6] According to Moroccan news media, the current layout of the city walls dates to the Saadi period in the 16th century.[2]

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 Marrakesh.[7]

The city underwent economic decline after the port of Agadir was closed to commerce in 1760.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7]

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.[8] Moses ben Maimon Albas was a prominent Jewish Kabbalist from Taroudant.[9]

Climate

On 11 August 2023, a maximum temperature of 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) was registered.[10][relevance?]

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.[1]

Landmarks

The medina (historic quarter) of Taroudant is classified as a national cultural heritage monument of Morocco.[11] Its historic city walls are around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi)[1] or 8 kilometres (5.0 mi)[2] long and are set with bastions and punctuated by nine gates that are still in use.[1]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Morocco. Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley. 2006. p. 288.
  2. ^ "Marrakech's Taroudant: A Small Town Full of History and Charm". Morocco World News. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  3. ^ Omar Boum & Thomas Park (2 June 2016). Historical Dictionary of Morocco. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 458.
  4. ^ Deverdun, Gaston (1959). Marrakech: Des origines à 1912 (in French). Rabat: Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines. p. 350.
  5. ^ Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 210. ISBN 0-521-33767-4.
  6. ^ Boum, Aomar & Park, Thomas K. (2016). "Sa'dian dynasty". Historical Dictionary of Morocco. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 432. ISBN 978-1-4422-6297-3.
  7. ^ Boum, Aomar & Park, Thomas K. (2016). "Taroudant". Historical Dictionary of Morocco. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-4422-6297-3.
  8. ^ "Discover Morocco’s Berber Jewish Past". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Albaz, Moses Ben Maimon". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  10. ^ "60253: Taroudant (Morocco)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Médina de Taroudannt" (in French). Inventaire du patrimoine culturel du Maroc. Archived from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2019-11-17.