Tamegroute

Tamegroute is a town located in the Zagora province, on the ancient route to Timbuktu, in the Drâa Valley.

This town is famous for its green-glazed pottery, its library which houses more than 4,000 precious books, and the Naciria Zaouia.

Tamegroute was a center of the Naciria religious brotherhood, founded in the 17th century by Sidi Mohamed Ben Nacer.

This pious man filled the Tamegroute library with over 4,000 precious books he brought back from his long journeys in Africa and the Orient.

The oldest preserved books date back to the 11th century, written in walnut ink, saffron, henna, or gold, on gazelle skin parchments.

These are scientific, literary, and religious texts, covering topics such as mathematics, astrology, astronomy, and pharmacopoeia.

The Naciria Zaouia would become a beacon of knowledge in Morocco and also in Africa, attracting scholars, ulemas, and students seeking knowledge and drawn to the valuable books collected there.

The village of Tamegroute would become a crossroads for trade caravans, and the Zaouia would develop its connections and influence.

This brotherhood had a great spiritual, socio-economic, and political influence in Morocco, as well as in many other countries.

Tamegroute hosts artisanal pottery workshops that craft everyday objects such as tagine plates, dishes, bowls, cups, and tiles, all in a unique green glaze, using kilns heated with palm fronds and small dry wood.

Tamegroute is renowned for its green-glazed pottery.

This unique color, combined with traditional patterns, gives each piece an authentic charm.

Passed down from generation to generation within artisan families, the pottery tradition of Tamegroute is imbued with carefully guarded secrets of craftsmanship.

Over the centuries, it has been exchanged and traded across Morocco and beyond, contributing to its worldwide fame.