Kasbah

Ruined 17th-century royal quarter inside the medina

Taroudant's kasbah is a substantial walled enclosure in the northern part of the medina, distinct from the main ramparts. It served as the administrative and residential quarter for the ruling elite during the Alaouite period, and parts of the original palace structures survive in various states of decay alongside inhabited houses.

The interior is a neighbourhood unto itself, with narrow lanes, small mosques, and a population that has lived there for generations. You can wander in freely — there are no entry fees and no official tour routes, which means you explore at your own pace. Look for the ornate doorways and surviving carved plasterwork that hint at the kasbah's former grandeur.

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A story
The kasbah was the residence of Moulay Ismail's viceroy in the 17th century, a separate walled quarter within the medina used to house the ruling class. It was later abandoned and gradually fell into ruin, but the scale of the enclosures still gives a sense of the ambition of Alaouite power in the Souss.