Tiznit Medina

Tiznit is not an old medina - the walls, about five kilometres of ochre pise with towers and gates, were built in 1882 by Sultan Hassan I to secure the Souss against the tribes of the south, enclosing a group of existing settlements and a spring, the Source Bleue, whose story about a repentant woman named Lalla Zninia gives the town its name. What makes it worth a stop is the silver. Tiznit is the centre of the Amazigh silver trade in southern Morocco: a dedicated souk of dozens of workshops and shops working in silver rather than the gold sold further north, producing the heavy fibulae, necklaces, khamsa hands, daggers and Saharan jewellery of the region, much of it in the Berber and formerly Jewish traditions that overlapped in this craft. Prices are by weight plus workmanship and bargaining is expected.

What you actually see

• An 1882 wall - five kilometres of pise built to secure the Souss, not a medieval circuit.
• A silver souk - dozens of workshops in the southern Amazigh silver tradition.
• Heavy Berber jewellery - fibulae, khamsa hands and Saharan pieces sold by weight.
• The Source Bleue - the spring the town grew around and takes its name from.

When to go

October to April. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold as antique Berber silver is recent work or alloy - buy by weight and for looks. Bargaining is expected and prices start high for visitors. The medina is workaday rather than picturesque. Summer heat is severe.

Nearby

Mirleft and the coast are south-west; Tafraout is east.