Taroudant (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 Marrakech. It is called the "Grandmother of Marrakech" because it looks like a smaller Marrakech with its surrounding ramparts. In the sixteenth century the Saadians briefly used Taroudant as a capital, before they moved onwards to Marrakech. Today it has the feel of a small fortified market town on a caravan route.