Guelmim: Amhirich Market and Guedra

If you are looking for a hotel in Guelmim, you can focus on the destination’s cultural themes: the Amhirich Market represents a long trading history, while the Guedra is a distinctive dance tradition. The wider Guelmim destination also includes historic sites, crafts and landscapes. This distinction can help you organize your travel plans, from the city itself to regional themes.

Amhirich Market: history and range of goods

The Amhirich Market in Guelmim has existed for more than three centuries and covers more than three hectares. It is one of Morocco’s best-known camel markets. Dozens of camels and livestock from various categories are traded there. The market also includes a modern area for selling fruit, vegetables, grain and other products. Its history, livestock trade and range of goods give the market several distinct facets: alongside the trade in animals, the sale of agricultural produce is also a feature.

Souk Amhirich has a dedicated area for textiles and clothing. Everyday goods thus complement the product categories associated with the Amhirich Market. If you are interested in markets, these details provide a clear guide to the different trading areas, without conflating the camel and livestock trade with the rest of the goods on offer.

The Guedra and its tradition

The Guedra is considered a traditional dance characteristic of Guelmim and its region. Its name comes from an earthenware vessel covered with goatskin, which serves as a drum for the musicians. The dance’s name thus also refers to an instrument from its musical tradition. The Guedra is now difficult to experience. It is therefore a cultural point of reference when exploring Guelmim’s traditions, rather than an experience to plan around as a certainty.

Culture and landscapes in the wider Guelmim destination

Within the wider Guelmim destination, Tighmert is historically significant: it was the main town of Nul-Lamta. Nul-Lamta is considered the medieval capital of the northwestern Sahara up to the 16th century. Tighmert also consists of palm groves and ksour that follow the Warg-n-Nun River downstream. Here, history and landscape are closely linked to the course of the river.

Other historical points of interest are in Taghjijt. Tigmi Ougalid, the Sultan’s house, is an Almohad kasbah overlooking the Taghjijt oasis. Dar Es Soultane is an old citadel on the heights of Taghjijt. The Amtoudi Valley is another regional point of interest: it lies about 120 kilometers east of Guelmim, in the direction of Tata, and includes a kasbah and agadirs. Adrar Zerzem is a protohistoric site in the municipality of Taghjijt, about 80 kilometers northeast of Guelmim, in the direction of Tata. It dates to approximately 2,500 BC.

The wider Guelmim destination combines historic sites like these with artisanal traditions. Jewelry-making in Guelmim Province draws on old techniques and uses precious metals. Traditional leatherwork involves making and decorating items from supple goatskins. The Road of the Mauritanians, Zenkat Al Mauritans, offers a wide selection of traditional Sahrawi clothing and fabrics. These themes provide a cultural complement to the activity at the market in Guelmim, without being equated with the city’s own features.

Coasts and rocky landscapes

The landscape themes of the wider Guelmim destination range from the coast to rock formations. Foum Assaka is a 19,000-hectare coastal SIBE with cliffs, short beaches and diverse wildlife. Plage Blanche lies about 65 kilometers west of Guelmim, in the direction of Sidi Ifni, and stretches for approximately 45 kilometers. Near Ait Boufouln, the Grottes aux Pigeons are a cluster of dark, narrow rock formations; they lie about 50 kilometers from Guelmim, in the direction of Agadir. These different descriptions illustrate the range of regional landscape themes: the coast, beaches, wildlife and striking rock formations each represent distinct aspects.

Hotels in Guelmim to suit your travel plans

Compare hotel offers for Guelmim based on the details of each offer and which of these themes matter to your trip.

Discover more destinations: Tan-Tan, Tagmout, Tighmert, Tata, Tissint, Icht

Return to the wider travel overview: Guelmim-Es Semara.