At the mouth of the Ourika Valley, where the road begins to climb away from the plains, lies the site of Aghmat — a city that was once the most important settlement in southern Morocco, predating Marrakesh by centuries. In the eleventh century it served as the first capital of the Almoravid dynasty before they founded Marrakesh and Aghmat faded into obscurity.
Almost nothing is visible above ground. The ruins lie largely unexcavated beneath the modern village, and what can be seen requires imagination. But the site includes the tomb of Al-Mu'tamid, the great poet-king of Seville who was brought here as a prisoner by the Almoravids in 1091 and died in exile. The tomb is a place of quiet pilgrimage.
Aghmat is most often bypassed by visitors heading straight for the valley, which is a shame. It takes no more than 30 minutes to stop, and the contrast between its current obscurity and its medieval importance is striking.