Zaouia of Boujad

Boujad was founded around the zaouia of Sidi Mohammed Cherki in the seventeenth century, and what grew from it is a specific Moroccan institution: a Sufi lodge whose sharifian family acquired religious authority, then land, then commercial weight, arbitrating between tribes on the Tadla plains and drawing pilgrims and trade to a town that exists for that reason. At its height it had a large number of zaouias and shrines within it and was called a town of saints. The medina is a dense white quarter of covered lanes, courtyards and shrine buildings with green tiled roofs, and it has almost no visitors - the pilgrimage is domestic. Non-Muslims cannot enter the shrines. Boujad is also known for a distinctive style of carpet, loosely woven in pink and purple wool with irregular patterning, which has become sought after abroad.

What you actually see

• A town built on a lodge - founded round a seventeenth-century zaouia that gained land and power.
• Green-roofed shrines - a dense white medina of covered lanes and courtyards.
• A domestic pilgrimage - visitors are Moroccan, not foreign.
• Boujad carpets - loosely woven pink and purple wool with irregular patterns.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Non-Muslims cannot enter the shrines - the visit is the streets. There is no tourist infrastructure. The town is conservative; dress accordingly. Carpets sold locally are cheaper than abroad but sorting quality takes an eye.

Nearby

Kasba Tadla is south-east; Oued Zem is north.