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The Suss (Berber: ⵙⵓⵙⵙ) is a region in southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Oued Sous (Asif n Suss), separated from the Sahara by the Anti-Atlas Mountains. The natural vegetation in the Suss is savanna dominated by the Argan (Argania spinosa), a local endemic tree found nowhere else; part of the area is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to protect this unique habitat.
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History
A well irrigated area, this has been one of Morocco's most fertile regions for centuries, known since at least the eleventh century for its cultivation and export of sugar. The golden age of the Suss was in the seventeenth century during the era of the kingdom of Tazerwalt, when the region enjoyed autonomy and profited from both the trans-Saharan gold trade and the sale of sugar to Portuguese, Dutch and English traders. The centre for foreign trade during this time was Agadir, a city 10 km north of the mouth of the Sous river.
Population
The Suss is inhabited by Berber peoples of Mesmouda & Senhaja; aside from some Darija-speaking tribes, the main inhabitants are the Sussians, speakers of a distinct Berber language called Tasussit or Sussian.