Taghazout

Taghazout Taɣazut / ⵜⴰⵖⴰⵣⵓⵜ / تاغازوت
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Taghazout Location in Morocco
Coordinates:
Country	Morocco
Region	Souss-Massa-Drâa
Province	Agadir Idawtanan
Prefecture	Caïdat Taghazout
Government
• President of common	Mohamed Bouhrist
Population (2004)
• Total	5,343.
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Area code(s)	80000

Taghazout (Berber: ⵜⴰⵖⴰⵣⵓⵜ, Taɣazut; Arabic: تاغازوت) is a small fishing village 19 km (12 mi) north of the city of Agadir in the south west of Morocco. The inhabitants are mostly of Berber origin. Fishing, tourism, and the production of Argan oil being the main source of income. The developing tourism industry promises to increase the wealth of the area.

History

File:Buyirdn.jpg

The ruins of buyirdn (la Madrague)

The Berber people originally resided in the foothills of the surrounding mountains and used the village purely as a place to store their fishing equipment. As the Spanish increased their hold on the area in the 19th Century, factories and Mosques were built in order to house the Berber people and the village grew into a larger community. Nowadays Taghazout is a multi-cultural haven, with residents from all over the world and a mix of the retired wealthy, to the modern day hippies waiting for the next wave.

In a similar fashion to Calangute beach in Goa India and Kuta on the island of Bali Indonesia, a beach just south of the village became famous in the late 1960s as a destination for young adventurers to base themselves while exploring southern Morocco. On occasion, several hundred would reside in tents, makeshift buildings, and camper vans.

Activities

File:Taghazout Surf.jpg

Anchor's - pumping

Surfing is now the common theme for visitors. Morocco is famous for its long right hand point breaks; thoroughly consistent and generally uncrowded. The most famous of which is a little to the north. In the right conditions this point can take you on a 2 km ride, starting at Anchor Point, joining up with Hash Point and ending on the beach break at Panorama's. It's called surfing from village to village. There are several other in and around the area making it an ideal destination for all levels of surfing skill. The waves work best between September to April especially for advanced surfers, receiving similar conditions to that of mainland Europe, but with the warm waters of the Moroccan Atlantic up to 21 degrees.The rest of the year, the surf is good for beginners and intermediate

Beaches

Abouda beach (27 km from Agadir)

There are several beaches north of Agadir, which all offer a good alternative to the local beach in town. The setting of these beaches can be most attractive, with mountains on all sides, yet with a wide and clean beach with all necessary amenities. The largest and popular are: Tamawanza (12 km), Aitswal Beach, Imouran (17 km),Taghazout beach (19 km), Du lkhmiss 20, Bouyirdn (21 km), Timzguida allal (22 km), Imiouadar (27 km), Aghroud (30 km).

Eating and drinking

Taghazout has lots of restaurants that offer a relatively wide selection of foods. On the seafront you have the Surf Berbere Cafe, Auberge and Mouja. Then on the main street there are several restaurants offering traditional Moroccan cuisine such as Cafe Florida and La Paix. There is Le Spot for pizzas and good snack food, Sunset Cafe has the best burgers in town and Josephine's offers excellent french cuisine.

Taghazout is a dry town; no alcohol is available to purchase. However it is not outlawed in the town and is readily available in Agadir, a short bus or taxi ride south. To buy alcohol, the easiest option is to go to Carrefour in the center of Agadir.

Taghazout Bay

The site Taghazout-Argana Bay is 15 kilometres north of Agadir. It is intended to become the first seaside resort in Morocco, 300 km from Marrakesh, the first cultural and tourist centre of the country and 170 kilometres from the city of Essaouira.

Taghazout Bay is part of the Moroccan national tourism strategy ‘Vision 2020’. It is expected (September 2018) to provide the implementation of 8000 beds (5800 hotel), with a closer and more environmentally friendly tourism development, "Taghazout eco-resort." It further provides for a village of surfers, a village green holiday, camping with international standards, an 18-hole golf course, cafes, restaurants, shops and galleries.

See also

• Plan Azur