Tiznit The Trip to Tiznit


Mehdi was the one that insisted we should rent a car and go south - over the huge plain of Sousse to the old town of Tiznit.
It takes some hours to drive to Tiznit, and there are interesting places to see on the way.



The very old village of Sidi Rbat is one of them.
It's an old fishing village by the coast, and it is one of the oldest villages in the area.


The Plains of Sousse is a wide open area. You can see miles in every direction. In the far distance you can see the mountains. On our way to Tiznit we saw two tornados sweeping over the plain. Fascinating, but having been very close to a small one, I know the power and strengh they have. Even though Mehdi protested and thought me being such a coward, I ordered him into the car and drove off before having another close encounter with the tornados.




It takes about five hours to drive from Agadir to Tiznit. It's built on the plains and is quite a big town, modern houses surrounding the old town. Tiznit is considered being a rich town.
It's mostly known for the art crafts in gold. If you visit the Souk (Market) you find a wide variety of different objects. And as a tourist every salesman wants you to buy his stuff, real gold or not.




The old part is, of course, surrounded by a wall. In there it looks like you, as a European tourist, think an arab town should look like. One of the fascinating things is all the smells. They comes from herbs and spices, and is one of the things you will remember long after you have left Tiznit.




Before going into the old town, Mehdi and I sat down outside the wall to have a cup of coffee. Thanks to Mehdi, we got a guide, a young man from Tiznit. He was sitting in the same café, and since he didn't have any plans for a couple of hours, he showed us around just for the pleasure, and took us places I wouldn't have gone, being alone. Way into the alleys and narrow streets, and around the old town.


From Tiznit it's about one hour drive to the coast. You cross over low mountains and there's a significant change of the nature.
We went to the little village of Mirleft.


The Castle of Mirleft on top of the mountain The great beach


Just after having passed the village is the beach. During the summer surfers come a long way to challenge the big waves. When we were there, the beach was completely deserted. Not even a café was open.




We found an open café in the next village, and could relax before driving back to Agadir. Green tea is OK, but there's nothing like a big cup of café au lait!... 1