THE BOOK OF
تيزنيت
History, places, people, culture and food of Tiznit, told by two Moroccans.
CHAPTER I
Founded in 1882 by Sultan Moulay Hassan I, who ringed it with five kilometres of ochre walls, Tiznit is the capital of Berber silver. It was also here that El Hiba proclaimed himself sultan in 1912 to resist France.
CHAPTER II
Before the town there was the spring, Ain Akdim, the "blue spring". According to tradition it was discovered by a holy woman, Lalla Zninia, who is said to have given the town its name. The medina is divided into four quarters organised around this water, which irrigated many gardens.
The spring has lost much of its flow since another source, the Reggada spring, was tapped in the neighbouring Ouled Jerrar tribe.
The town was founded in 1882 by the Alaouite sultan Moulay Hassan I, who in 1883 surrounded it with a long wall that still encloses the old medina. He wanted to assert the makhzen's authority in the south, against the Souss tribes and against Spain, which had been trying to settle at Ifni since the Hispano-Moroccan war of 1860.
His 1886 expedition strengthened his power in the region further. The sultan's palace still stands on Mechouar Square.
In 1912, after the protectorate was signed, it was in Tiznit that Ahmed al-Hiba was proclaimed sultan; he was the son of the great Saharan holy man Ma al-Aynayn, whose tomb is in the town. His followers from the Sahara entered Marrakech before being defeated by the French army at Sidi Bou Othman in September 1912.
The first French officer to enter the town was Captain Léopold Justinard, nicknamed the "Chleuh captain", who held it from 1916 to 1921, later joined by the caid Tayeb el-Goundafi.
Tiznit owes its reputation to its silversmiths. The silver fibula, the tazerzit, which Amazigh women wear to fasten their drapes, is the most worked object, along with bracelets, necklaces and daggers. Long in the hands of Jewish craftsmen, this skill is now passed on in the souk's Amazigh workshops.
The town is also the gateway to the Anti-Atlas and the Aglou coast, and the capital of a province of the Souss-Massa region.
CHAPTER III
1882
Sultan Moulay Hassan I builds the walls of Tiznit.
1912
Ahmed al-Hiba proclaims himself sultan in Tiznit against the French.
CHAPTER IV
1
Dozens of silver shops; price depends on weight and craftsmanship.
2
According to legend, the holy woman Lalla Zninia made this spring flow, and the town grew around it.
3
The minaret bristling with wooden stakes, typical of the Saharan south, towers over the medina.
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
Jewellery served as dowry and protection; the large triangular fibula, the tazerzit, is Tiznit's emblem.
Silver jewelry — particularly heavy Berber pieces with geometric patterns, enameling, and semi-precious stones — is the city's defining craft. The weekly Thursday market draws Berber women from surrounding villages to sell and buy. Traditional Amazigh tattooing patterns (now more commonly painted with henna) are preserved in the jewelry designs.
CHAPTER VII
Tiznit is a town of jewellers and Anti-Atlas traders. For centuries, silversmithing was in the hands of Jewish craftsmen; their skills are now carried on in the souk's Amazigh workshops.
Tashelhit dominates; the jewellery itself carries Amazigh symbols, like women's triangular fibula (tazerzit).
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
Allow 1–2 days to see Tiznit without rushing. That is the length we use in our itineraries.
The best months for Tiznit are October, November, March and April.
Per person per day, accommodation included: about $25 on a budget, $60 mid-range and $150 for a luxury stay.
CTM buses from Agadir (2h) and Marrakech (5h). Grand taxis link to surrounding towns. No train or airport.
The must-sees of Tiznit: Silversmiths' souk, Agadir Ouflla, Source Bleue and Thursday souk.
To taste in Tiznit: Amlou, Khobz, Moroccan mint tea and Oranges with cinnamon.
The best areas to stay: Medina.
Yes, Tiznit welcomes many travellers every year. The precautions are those of any tourist destination: watch your belongings in crowds, politely turn down unofficial guides, agree on a taxi fare before getting in.
Yes, Tiznit is easy to visit with children.
To go further and check what we write.
