Kasba Tadla

Moulay Ismail built a chain of garrison kasbahs across Morocco to hold the country for his standing army, and Kasba Tadla is one of the largest surviving - a walled rectangle above the Oum er-Rbia with ten towers, built in the 1680s, enclosing barracks, two mosques, cisterns and a governor's residence, with the whole thing in packed earth on stone foundations. Below it a bridge of the same period crosses the river on ten arches and is still in use. What makes it worth stopping for is that it is a military installation rather than a palace, so the plan is legible as accommodation, storage and defence rather than display, and it is largely unrestored, with families living in parts of the enclosure. There is no ticket, staff or signage. The Oum er-Rbia is Morocco's largest river and the country between here and Beni Mellal is irrigated plain.

What you actually see

• A garrison plan - barracks, cisterns and stores rather than palace display.
• Ten towers - a walled rectangle of packed earth above the river.
• Two mosques inside - built for the garrison within the enclosure.
• A ten-arch bridge - contemporary with the kasbah and still carrying traffic.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is unrestored, unstaffed and partly inhabited - there is no visitor arrangement at all. Some structures are unsafe. Residents live inside; ask before entering courtyards or photographing. Summer heat on the plain is severe.

Nearby

Beni Mellal and Ain Asserdoun are south-west; the Oum er-Rbia runs north.