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Shopping Guide
Ouarzazate Shopping Guide
Desert gateway treasures: Atlas Berber carpets, Dadès Valley rose products, Saharan fossils, Tuareg jewellery, and Draa Valley dates.
Quick Tips
Prices: 30–50% less than Marrakech
Best time: Morning (avoid midday heat)
Top spot: Ensemble Artisanal
What to Buy in Ouarzazate
Berber Carpets & Kilims
200–3,000 MADThe villages of the High Atlas, Dadès Valley, and desert fringe produce distinctive carpets and kilims. The styles here are different from the urban Rabat or Fes carpets — more geometric, earthy colours (natural wool whites, browns, reds), and reflecting Amazigh (Berber) tribal patterns. Kilims (flat-weave) are lighter and cheaper than knotted carpets. The carpet cooperatives on the Ait Benhaddou road let you see weaving and buy directly. Prices are 30–50% lower than Marrakech for comparable quality.
Carpet cooperatives on the road to Ait Benhaddou, Ensemble Artisanal, and medina shopsTip: The cooperatives on the Ait Benhaddou road show the full weaving process — understanding the labour helps you appreciate (and negotiate) fair prices
Rose Products
15–500 MADThe Dadès Valley east of Ouarzazate is Morocco's rose capital — Damask roses are harvested in May for rose water, rose oil, rose soap, and cosmetics. Rose water (15–30 MAD) is used in cooking and as a fragrance. Pure rose oil (200–500 MAD per small vial) is expensive because it takes thousands of petals to produce. Rose soap, cream, and lip balm are affordable and make excellent gifts. Buy from cooperatives in Kelaat M'Gouna for the freshest product, or from the Ensemble Artisanal in Ouarzazate.
Kelaat M'Gouna cooperatives (90 min east), Ensemble Artisanal, Ouarzazate souk shopsTip: Pure rose oil is very expensive — if it's cheap, it's diluted with other oils. A small vial of genuine oil is worth more than a large bottle of diluted product
Fossils & Minerals
20–500 MADThe desert regions around Ouarzazate — particularly toward Erfoud and Rissani — are rich in fossils: ammonites, trilobites, orthoceras, and geodes. Fossil pieces are turned into jewellery, decorative items, and polished display pieces. The fossil shops along the main roads stock everything from small pendants (20–50 MAD) to large polished ammonite plates (500+ MAD). Warning: many "fossils" are faked (carved and stained). Genuine fossils have natural irregularities and show the rock matrix around the creature.
Fossil shops along the main roads, souk stalls, and the Erfoud/Rissani fossil region (2 hours east)Tip: Genuine fossils feel heavier than fakes and show natural rock matrix around the fossil form — carved fakes are uniformly smooth
Saharan & Tuareg Crafts
30–300 MADAs the gateway to the Sahara, Ouarzazate stocks desert-origin crafts: Tuareg silver jewellery (the distinctive Agadez cross and other geometric designs), indigo fabric and scarves (the "blue people" of the desert), camel leather goods, desert stones (rose quartz, desert rose), and Saharan textiles. The Tuareg jewellery is particularly distinctive — different from the Berber silver of the Atlas. Some pieces are genuinely Saharan; many are produced locally in the Tuareg style.
Souk stalls, tourist shops along Avenue Mohammed V, and the Ensemble ArtisanalTip: Genuine Tuareg silver has a rougher finish and heavier weight than machine-made copies — the handmade quality shows in slight asymmetry
Dates & Local Food
10–60 MADThe Draa Valley south of Ouarzazate produces Morocco's best dates — particularly the prized Medjool variety. Buy dates at the souk or from roadside vendors on the drive to Zagora. Also available: almond products (almonds grow throughout the region), local honey (from the Atlas foothills), and dried fruits. The dates are freshest in October–November (harvest season) but available year-round. A box of Medjool dates is one of the best food souvenirs from Morocco.
Ouarzazate souk, roadside vendors on the Zagora road, and the Draa Valley villagesTip: Medjool dates (large, soft, caramel-sweet) are the premium variety — 40–60 MAD per kilo versus 15–25 MAD for standard dates
Kasbah-Inspired Pottery
20–150 MADPottery in earthy desert colours — ochre, terracotta, deep red — reflecting the kasbah architecture of the region. Plates, bowls, tagine pots, and decorative pieces. The style is simpler and more rustic than the elaborate pottery of Fes or Sale — appropriate to the desert setting. Some pottery incorporates Berber geometric patterns. The Ensemble Artisanal has the best-quality pieces at fixed prices. Souk pottery is cheaper but quality varies.
Ensemble Artisanal and pottery stalls in the soukTip: Tagine pots make practical souvenirs — usable on the stove at home. The locally-made ones are heavier but more authentic
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Frequently Asked Questions
What can you buy in Ouarzazate?
Ouarzazate's shopping reflects its position as the gateway to the Sahara: Berber carpets and kilims from the Atlas and desert villages (distinctive geometric patterns in earthy colours), rose products from the nearby Dadès Valley (rose water, rose oil, rose soap — the Rose Festival area is 90 minutes east), fossil jewellery and minerals (the surrounding desert is rich in fossils — ammonites, trilobites, geodes), Saharan crafts (Tuareg jewellery, indigo fabrics, desert stones), and dates from the Draa Valley.
Is there good shopping in Ouarzazate?
Ouarzazate has limited but interesting shopping. The city is small and the souk is basic compared to Marrakech or Fes, but the speciality items — rose products, fossils, Berber carpets — are often better value here than in the big cities. The Ensemble Artisanal (government-run craft centre) has a good selection at fixed prices. The carpet cooperatives on the road to Ait Benhaddou are worth stopping at. For the best shopping experience, combine Ouarzazate with day trips to the Dadès Valley (rose products) and the fossil region (Erfoud/Rissani).
Where can I buy rose products near Ouarzazate?
The best rose products come from Kelaat M'Gouna in the Dadès Valley, 90 minutes east of Ouarzazate on the road to Tinghir. The town is Morocco's rose capital — during the Rose Festival (May), tons of Damask roses are harvested. Cooperatives in Kelaat M'Gouna sell: rose water (15–30 MAD per bottle), rose oil (200–500 MAD for a small vial of pure oil), rose soap, rose cream, and dried rose buds. In Ouarzazate itself, the Ensemble Artisanal and some souk shops stock rose products, but selection and quality are better at source.