Taroudant (Berber: Tarudant, ⵜⴰⵔⵓⴷⴰⵏⵜ; Arabic:تارودانت‎) is a Moroccan city located in the Sous Valley in the southern part of the country. It is situated east of Agadir on the road to Ouarzazate and the Sahara desert and south of Marrakesh. It is called the "Grandmother of Marrakesh" because it looks like a smaller Marrakesh with its surrounding ramparts. In the sixteenth century the Saadians briefly used Taroudant as a capital, before they moved onwards to Marrakesh. Today it has the feel of a small fortified market town on a caravan route.