Things to do
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Bab Zorgane
This gate on the south side of the walls is a starting point for the circuit of the ramparts, a loop best done by calèche, bicycle or on foot in the cool of early morning. Square bastions rise at intervals along the way, and storks nest on several towers. Calèches wait at the main gates; agree the route and fare before setting off.
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Kasbah Quarter
Inside the north-east corner of the walls, the old kasbah quarter holds what remains of the sultan's fortress, now a lived-in district of narrow lanes and arched gateways. Its outer bastions face the Atlas across olive groves. A walk here pairs well with the ramparts circuit, and the quarter is quiet in the heat of the afternoon.
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La Tannerie
Outside Bab Taghount on the west side of town, hides are cured and dyed in open pits much as in Fez, on a smaller scale and with fewer touts. Shops around the yard sell leather goods and give a view over the pits. Morning is the working time, and the smell is strong in summer.
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Palais Salam
Built into the walls of the kasbah quarter, this former pasha's residence has rooms set around courtyard gardens of banana palms and bougainvillea, with a pool among the trees. Some rooms look onto the ramparts. Book ahead for the rooms in the older palace wings, which carry the painted ceilings and tilework.
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Souk Assarag
Off Place Assarag, the central square, the Arab souk sells silver jewellery, leather slippers, spices and saffron from the Taliouine hills, in lanes calmer than the big medinas to the north. Bargaining is expected but low key. Many shops close for a long lunch and on Friday afternoons, so mornings are the time to browse.
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Tiout
Palm groves and irrigated gardens spread below a ruined hilltop kasbah in this oasis south-east of town, with views across the Souss to the Anti-Atlas. Paths wind between the palms, henna and vegetable plots along the water channels. Grand taxis are irregular, so most visits are by hired car or with a driver.
