"Taroudannt, the perle of the south! " a Taroudannt Travel Page by tarou2004

Surrounded by red mud-ramparts, Taroudannt is one of the most elegant towns in the south. It is a very charm, ancient and majestic city, with its colourful souqs, beautiful squares, and narrow streets.

The city name were “El Mohamedia”, and it gains its current name when a woman lost its children in floods and was crying”Tarwa dan”
(Which are two Berber words) meaning “My children has gone”, so people has named the city“tarwa dan”, it then became “Taroudannt” to be easily prounounced

Being on the souss valley, Taroudannt has a great importance commercially and economically, and has played an enormous role politically, especially during Saadiens dynasty.

Located between the High and Anti Atlas, Taroudannt is a good base for trekking; the town is very popular, busy most of the days, but very relaxed, you will notice that bicycles are the main kind of transportation .The horse drawn carriage is one of the features of the Medina, you can make a rampart’s tour on foot, by bicycle or by horse drawn carriage.

As it was a centre of rebellion for many centuries-wheather incipient rebellion or open revolt-there is no much written and saved about Taroudannt history, unfornately.It is, though, a glorious town and worth to be one of the imperial cities.In some old studies, Taroudannt was named "Vala", Which state that the city was in different relations with several cities in the Mediterranean Sea.

As far back as 1056, Taroudannt was overrun by Almoravids;it played a secondary role in the following years.
Taroudannt was a center of rebellion against the Almohads.Ali Ben Yeder rebel against them and made himself the ruler of Taroudannt;it is amazing how the yederian dynasty stand for 80 years in spite of the three wars against " the legitimate and just government"

In1306 the city was destroyed by the merenids.But rebuilt on the 16th century by Saadiens, and played enormous rule indeed.It was Saadien's capital for 20 years (1510-1530), and a headquarters for the first Saadien's sheikh: Mohamed Al Qaim.It was under the Saadiens that Taroudannt lived its glorious time, it was the country's most important producer of sugar, cane, cotton, rice, orange and indigo.Not only Rodana(another name of Taroudannt)produced Sugar cane in large quantities, but it exports it to europe, western Africa and as far as the Middle east.
Once again,Taroudannt was a center of rebellion,this time against Moulay Ismail(Alouite Dynasty).As he did not feel secure, he commited a massacre against its inhabitants and was responsible for the destruction of the town, only the remparts were standing and still nowdays.

Taroudannt rebel another time against the government after the treaty of Fés which allowed the french protectorate rule in 1912 in the country; and it was El Hiba who attempt to stroke against the ruling power from the heart of Souss valley.

the origin of the name of the town was a legend which said that an old berber woman lost her children in floods and she was crying"Tarwa dan" (a berber expression meaning " my sons has gone", the city took that name and to be easily pronounced, it then changed a little to "Tarwadannt" and then " Taroudannt " or also " Taroudant".

In nutshell, Taroudannt is a town which never obeys a weak or a tyrant governor, and it is really disappointing how her history was ignored and not saved