Monday Souq

Draa Valley


You'll need to go early to this small, authentic Monday-morning market, where turbaned men haggle over oasis produce and catch up with their nomadic neighbours – by the heat of high noon it's largely over. It's on your right as you enter town heading south, opposite the water tower.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Draa Valley attractions

1. Ethnographic Museum

3.13 MILES

Inside the Ksar Ouled Driss, 5km before M'Hamid, you'll find this rare example of a 17th-century ksar (fortified village) that still has around 150…

2. Erg Lehoudi

5.34 MILES

The 100m-high Erg Lihoudi, located 8km northeast of M'Hamid, are some of the most easily accessible dunes in the area. Characterised by their white river…

3. El Mesouiria

6.2 MILES

Located just 8km northwest of M'Hamid, El Mesouiria is an option for an easy overnight camel trek. Dunes range between 60m and 80m in height and are…

4. Erg Esmar

21.44 MILES

This collection of small dunes, rising to just 80m, are well off the main radar with no permanent camps. With its mixture of red and white dunes, it's…

5. Erg Ezahar

23.3 MILES

This tall 'screaming' dune set amid a sea of smaller dunes wails eerily when the wind kicks up. Located 65km southwest of M'Hamid, it takes three days to…

6. Tinfou Dunes

29.3 MILES

The great sand seas of M'Hamid and Merzouga can make the Tinfou Dunes, around 7km south of Tamegroute, seem like a child's sandbox – especially on busy…

7. Maison de Poterie

29.66 MILES

Abderrahman Bassou will walk you through the rustic pottery-making process, including sitting in a hole in the ground to work the wheel. Oxidised copper…

8. Zawiya Nassiriyya

29.82 MILES

Non-Muslims cannot visit the green-roofed mausoleum but the remarkable library inside the adjacent Quranic school is open to all – providing the keyholder…