The Thursday market is Tataouine's best reason to spend a night here rather than just passing through. Traders come from the surrounding villages and from deeper in the Dahar highlands, selling dates, spices, live animals, cloth, metalwork, and a variety of goods that don't find their way into the permanent shops. It is a working market rather than a tourist spectacle — prices are negotiable, Arabic is the language, and the crowds thin out by early afternoon once the serious trading is done.
Arrive by 8am for the best atmosphere and the livestock section, which is the liveliest and most photogenic part. The market is held in the open ground north of the town centre, which is easy to find by following the sound and the smell.