Travel Guide Guelmim

The ochre color and the dust that dominate the city make Guelmim bear its name well. It is called Al Bab Al Sahara, the gateway to the desert. Called Oued Noun until 1981, the city takes its ancient name from a European woman, Nouna, where the Tuaregs used to get water. Today, Guelmim is an obligatory passage on the road to the Great South. With its temperate climate due to the proximity of the Atlantic, it is a pleasant stage before leaving to conquer the desert. Guelmim has been inhabited by the Aït Moussa tribe since the 15th century . As a buffer zone between the Sahara and the Souss plain, the city quickly became an essential stopover for caravanners heading to Timbuktu. Guelmim was willingly rebellious in the face of the authority of the Spanish or French colonists. On the eve of independence, it served as the general command center of the Sahara Liberation Army. Today, the region lives from agriculture and livestock. The craft industry tends to develop with the arrival of the tourists. It is moreover famous for its copper and silver jewels, the clothes industry and the work of leather. To find your way around, it is better to keep in mind the geographical directions of the main roads than the names given to the avenues. For example, Hassan II Avenue corresponds to the road to Sidi Ifni; Mohammed VI Avenue to the road to Agadir; Prince Moulay Rachid Avenue to the road to Abaynou, etc. Souk on Saturday.