Glaoui Kasbah

Top choice in Central Morocco


The once-glorious stronghold has been left to crumble, but the best indication of Telouet’s former position as the centre of a trans-Saharan trading empire are the ornate 2nd-floor reception rooms. No less than 300 artisans worked on salons faceted with stucco, zellige (colourful geometric mosaic tiles) and painted cedar ceilings that make Marrakesh’s royal Bahia Palace seem like an amateur artisanal effort.

After independence, Pasha Glaoui was ousted from the Bahia Palace and died shortly thereafter of cancer in exile in Telouet. The site is now owned by the village council.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Central Morocco attractions

1. Tizi n'Tichka

8.53 MILES

Higher than Tizi n’Test to the west but an easier drive along the N9, the Tizi n’Tichka (2260m) connects Marrakesh with the southern oases. It was built…

2. Tamdakhte Kasbah

14.88 MILES

The magnificent unrestored kasbah, a crumbling Glaoui construction still topped by storks' nests, is the centrepoint of Tamdakhte village. There's not…

3. Igherm Iqadarne

17.64 MILES

Towering above the village, the ighrane (collective granary) is popular as a tourist site and as a panoramic viewpoint for views of the surrounding…

4. Source Sidi El Wafi

19.52 MILES

Follow the flow of locals across the bridge below Tighdouine and up a short track across the valley to the southwest to this small spring said to cure an…

5. Atlas Film Corporation Studios

28.71 MILES

The first ‘Ouarzawood’ studio, established by Mohammed Belghimi in 1983, displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile,…

6. Tifoultoute Kasbah

28.77 MILES

Built in the 17th century and extended by the Glaoui clan in the 18th, this commanding hilltop kasbah has now been converted into a privately owned…