Rissani
Rissani was the capital of the Tafilalet oasis — the largest oasis in Morocco — and the cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, which has ruled Morocco since the 17th century. Moulay Ali Cherif, the dynasty's founder, is buried here.
The town is known for three things: the souk, the ksour, and the proximity to Merzouga. The souk — held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday — is one of the great markets of southeastern Morocco. Livestock, dates, spices, and household goods fill a labyrinth of covered alleys and open squares. The donkey parking lot alone is worth the visit.
The ksour around Rissani — fortified villages built from pisé — are among the finest in the Draa-Tafilalet region. Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim, partially restored, gives a sense of the scale and complexity of oasis architecture.
Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes are 35 kilometres south. Most visitors pass through Rissani on the way to the sand. Those who stop discover that the town has more character than the dunes.
Places
Architecture
Sijilmasa Ruins
The ruins of Sijilmasa — the medieval city that controlled the northern terminus of the trans-Saharan gold trade from the 8th to the 14th century. At its height it was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the point where Saharan gold, salt, and slaves were exchanged for Mediterranean goods. The ruins are unexcavated, low, and largely invisible — which makes the imaginative leap required to understand what was here all the more extraordinary.
Working areas
Souk of Rissani
Birthplace of Morocco's ruling dynasty. The souk sells everything the desert needs.
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Coming to Rissani?
Every journey we design includes private guiding, accommodation chosen for character rather than category, and the kind of access that takes years in Morocco to arrange.
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