Azrou

Azrou sits at 1,250 metres in the heart of the Middle Atlas, surrounded by one of the largest cedar forests in the world. The town's name means 'rock' in Tamazight — a reference to the enormous basalt monolith rising from its centre. Famous across Morocco for its weekly souk and its proximity to wild Barbary macaques in the cedar forest, Azrou is the authentic gateway to the Middle Atlas highlands. The surrounding landscape shifts between volcanic plateaus, mountain streams, and ancient cedar groves where trees reach 40 metres and live 800 years.

Azrou has been a Berber settlement since antiquity, its name recorded by medieval Arab geographers as a waypoint on the trans-Atlas trade route between Fes and the Sahara. The Merinid dynasty fortified it in the 14th century. During the French protectorate, Azrou became an important administrative and educational centre — the Collège Berbère d'Azrou (1927) was established here to train a Berber administrative elite, part of France's controversial Berber Policy. The surrounding cedar forests were mapped and managed by French foresters beginning in the 1920s.

Azrou is the centre of Middle Atlas Berber carpet weaving — the distinctive geometric patterns in bold red, orange and black are specific to this region and differ markedly from the carpets of Marrakech or Rabat. The Tuesday souk is one of the most authentic rural markets in Morocco, drawing Berber farmers from the surrounding plateau villages. The cedar honey of the region is produced by small-scale beekeepers and considered among Morocco's finest.

• ✓The macaque clearing is 3km north on the road towards Ifrane — follow the signs or ask any local for 'les singes'.
• ✓Do not feed the macaques with your own food — human food causes health problems. Buy the permitted nuts from vendors on site.
• ✓Azrou is cold even in summer at night (1,250m) — bring a layer.
• ✓Combine with Ifrane (17km north) and Meknès (67km north) for a full Middle Atlas day circuit.
• ✓The Tuesday souk starts at 8am and is largely over by noon.

Grand taxis from Meknès (1h), Ifrane (20 min) and Midelt (2h). CTM bus stop on the main Fes–Marrakech highway. No train or airport — driving or grand taxi is the standard approach.