The original town spring is now a shallow, stagnant pool, and green rather than blue. Legend claims a woman of ill repute, Lalla Zninia, stopped to rest here at what was then plain desert. She spent the next three days repenting her wicked ways, and God was so impressed that he showed forgiveness by having a spring gush beneath her feet.
Her name was thus given to the village that preceded Sultan Moulay Al Hassan’s 19th-century fortress town. The adjacent citadel is undergoing careful restoration (scheduled to be completed in 2020) and is also worthy of a quick stroll. Nearby are more jewellery and Berber crafts shops.
