3 Best Sights in Tiznit, The Southern Atlantic Coast

The minaret of the Grande Mosquée is the oldest example in Morocco of a Saharan–style minaret, an architectural feature more commonly seen in Niger and Mali. Perches poke out from all sides, making it look like someone forgot to take out the scaffolding after it was completed. These perches are said to assist the dead in their ascent to paradise. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque. 

Near the Grand Mosquée, the Lalla Zninia Spring (also known as the Source Bleue) is touted as Tiznit's main sight. In the evenings, the pool is lit up, while locals take in the night air in the adjacent square. The spring honors the saint after whom Tiznit is named. Of the several legends relating to this woman, one has it that she was a shepherd girl who brought her flocks to this spot and smelled the then-undiscovered spring below; her sheep dug (if you can imagine sheep digging) until they found the water, and the town was born. Another story talks of a repentant prostitute who later became a saint. In any case, to catch a glimpse of her tomb on afternoons when devotees visit, follow the prison wall and turn left on the first narrow neighborhood street; the tomb is behind a green-painted door on your left.

The main square, the Méchouar, is the heart of town and was once a military parade ground, though nowadays it has become a car park with a clutch of cheap hotels and cafés around it. Down a side street off the main square (heading in the direction of the ramparts), in a smaller square lined with orange trees, locals buy from the mint, date, and dried-thyme vendors whose carts park between the rows of clothing and housewares. Off the Méchouar are the town's main souks.