Ait Ourir's weekly market is one of the liveliest in the Marrakesh region. It begins not long after sunrise on Tuesday and runs through the morning, taking over the dusty ground on the eastern edge of town. Sellers come down from the surrounding villages with sheep, goats, vegetables, spices, woven mats, second-hand clothes, and small mountains of mint. The livestock section is the most theatrical, with hard bargaining and unhurried inspection of teeth and hocks.
If you go, arrive early — by midday the heat is fierce and the best produce has already been sold. Bring small notes; bring no expectations of finding tourist souvenirs. This is a working farmers' market for the people of the Oued Zat valley, and that is the entire point. The Tuesday timing is the only reason most travellers from Marrakesh pause in Ait Ourir at all.