Taourirt Kasbah is a citadel set against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. As far as fortifications are concerned in Morocco, this is one of the most impressive of its kind. With almost 300 rooms and a true maze of passageways, steps, and keylock doors, it’s easy to feel lost within this immense structure that only connects to the outside world through a narrow entrance doorway. The cobweb of structures that make up the kasbah have resulted in multi-level towers rising out of small ksours (one-family kasbahs) and a bewildering plethora of alleyways and stairwells.

Originally built in the 19th century, the Taourirt Kasbah was owned by the el Glaoui clan, a family that had a powerful stronghold of one of Morocco’s most significant southern caravan routes to West Africa. This power and wealth made the clan one of the country’s most influential families. Its most notable member was Thami El Glaoui, also known as the Lord of the Atlas, who was the Pasha of Marakesh between 1912 and 1956.

Within the kasbah itself, you will discover uniquely shaped and sized rooms decorated with plaster work, mosaics and painted stucco. The almost 300 rooms vary from reception rooms, to harem rooms and palace kitchens giving you a chance to witness what life was like for a powerful Moroccan clan.