The medina
It was founded late in the 18th century under the Alaouite sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah who made the city an important commercial center, and its port, an Atlantic port serving other ports in the world.
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Essaouira
Essaouira city in Morocco
Essaouira, the charming city of trade winds
Formerly called Mogador, Essaouira is a very recommended destination for a seaside and cultural tourism in the peaceful atmosphere of this city on the edge of the Atlantic, with a rich past, swept throughout the year by the breath of fresh trade winds, thus delighting water sports enthusiasts.
Despite a rich heritage, and its endowment of an enormous potential, Essaouira was long dormant until being awakened around the 70’s of the last century or the «seventies» by the hippie wave including a certain Jimmy Hendrix who became fond of the places, Bringing in its wake other baba-cool, and followers of the famous slogan «make love not war». Other artists in search of inspiration have succeeded one another to meet their Muse in such an idyllic environment. This was the rebirth of Essaouira.
Since Essaouira has come a long way to be classified, not only as a World Heritage site, but among the favorite destinations of Morocco. With a rich historical and cultural heritage inherited from past generations: Berber, Arab, Portuguese, European, Jewish, sub-Saharan, in addition to the gifts of nature such as the sea and the wind, Essaouira has developed a large hotel infrastructure by setting up, as a seaside resort, a myriad of activities around the sea such as windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, and other water sports, as well as horse riding, hiking in all kinds: quad, buggy, dromedary...
Culturally Essaouira, the city of tolerance, offers a variety of music festivals and cultural and religious events. Crossroads of civilizations and religions, it has established the Guenaoua festival and the Atlantic Andalusians festival which, year after year, contribute to improving the image of the city and make it better known throughout the world. Culturally Essaouira, the city of tolerance, offers a variety of music festivals and cultural and religious events. Crossroads of civilizations and religions, it has established the Guenaoua festival and the Atlantic Andalusians festival which, year after year, contribute to improving the image of the city and make it better known throughout the world.
Essaouira also offers its monuments, its port, the scala, the ramparts, the medina, its beach, its art workshops, music, cooking, exhibition galleries, and many other workshops that attract with the argan tree that abounds in the region, local cosmetics and craft products made from thuja wood.
In Essaouira, you can also taste the traditional dishes of the country, fresh fish dishes, and even if they are cool, the nights are also animated by modern or local music, especially guenaoua music, inherited from the times of slaves coming from Sudan and Guinea.
Essaouira remains the ideal place for a holiday full of relaxation and tranquillity. Whether you are a water sports enthusiast, music lover, culture, art or craft enthusiast, Essaouira is your destination.
Exploring Essaouira – Where Coastal Charm Meets Cultural Heritage
- Population – geographic position – climate:
- 106,515 inhabitants live in Essaouira. It is located on the Atlantic coast, some 180 km north of Agadir. Constantly swept by the trade winds, it is relatively fresh and its average temperature is 25 degrees throughout the year.
- Accommodation and catering:
- Essaouira has a large hotel structure ranging from world-renowned hotel groups, luxury hotels, riads, and the whole hierarchy of accommodation to the room in the inhabitant's home. Catering in Morocco is not a problem in a country known worldwide for its traditional and international cuisine. However, in Essaouira, fish lovers will be delighted. Essaouira stands out for its healthy environment, where cars are banned in the streets of the medina. Also, there are no factories, the city does not suffer from pollution. You can breathe healthy air mixed with the smells of spices and thuja wood during a peaceful stay.Mingle with its welcoming population by strolling through the colorful and lively streets of the medina, visit the port, admire the fishermen at work, take time and pleasure to taste a plate of fish,... Essaouira is so endearing that we want to stay there for a long time.
What can we visit in Essaouira?
Souks
They are inside the medina. Colourful and lively, you can find everything: food products, fabrics and clothing, handicrafts, herbalism, etc...
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Museum
Located in a building dating from the 19th century, it is the only museum in the city and it includes the cultural and historical heritage of the region of Essaouira (carpets, costumes, chests, jewelry, musical instruments), as it temporarily hosts exhibitions.
The ramparts
Also in the 18th century, Essaouira was endowed with ramparts around the medina by the architect Théodore Cornut, a student of Vauban. They were designed to protect the city from attackers coming from the sea, as well as from the interior.
Le Port
Facing the ramparts of the medina, in the past, as a commercial port, it connected Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa to the rest of the world. Its foundation dates back to the reign of the Alaouite sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah in the 18th century. Having lost its status as a commercial port, it is nevertheless one of the first traditional fishing ports in Morocco. It is worth the detour and the pleasure of tasting a good dish of fresh fish in this port where there is a great atmosphere.
Bab el marsa (Port entrance)
Built during the construction of the port under the Alawite sultan, it is connected to the scala (artillery platform) by a fortified bridge. On the pediment are engraved three crescent moons, the date 1769, and the name of the architect.
The Scala of the port
Dominated by the tower, it is a long platform of artillery equipped with cannons to ward off naval attacks. It should be remembered that some sequences of the film Othello by Orson Welles were shot at the scala.
Harbour Tour
Solid fortification with 4 watchtowers. At the top of the tower, you have panoramic views of the ocean, the port, the scala, the medina, the bay, Mogador island and Diabat (4 km south).
The beach
It extends from the port to the Diabat beach. You can surf, swim, or walk in the morning or at sunset. Also stop at the terrace of a cafe and admire the tide on the edge of the ocean facing Mogador Island. Around Essaouira are other beaches including the one of Sidi Kawki, the best known beach.
The Mellah
Jewish Quarter, under reconstruction. The Jewish inhabitants at the time of the sumptuous Essaouira were in the majority. They mainly traded in jewelry, fabrics and cloth. There were about 18,000 of them around the 1950s; But they left the city at the independence of Morocco and after the Six-Day War in 1967. An annual pilgrimage is celebrated in Essaouira between Moroccan Jews and those from abroad in homage to Rabbi Haim Pinto, buried in the city cemetery.
The Purpuari Islands or island of Mogador
Archipelago of two islets, 30 hectares and 400 m2; however, they remain forbidden to visitors to preserve a bird reserve and particularly, the very rare species of Eleonora falcons that comes to reproduce there between April and October
Activities in and around Essaouira
- Guided tour of the city
- Day trip to Sidi Kawki, a seaside village and meeting place for surfing and other water sports enthusiasts because of the winds that blow there regularly.
- Visit the various craft workshops, marquetry, cooking, etc.
- Walk on the bay
- Visit the Diabat ranch
- Visit the great gallery of the South
- Visit Bayt AL Dakira
- Visit the cooperatives producing argan oil and cosmetic products in the surrounding area.
- Day trip to Marrakech
- Excursion to the imperial cities
- Excursion to the Sahara desert
Historical Essaouira
Etymology:
Moreover uncertain, Essaouira has known other appellations of the time of the Phoenicians, Cretans, etc... One version says that later, the Portuguese called it Mogodor «in homage» to the patron saint of the city Sidi Mogdoul whose mausoleum is located south of the city. Mogodor is transformed into Mogadourou, then Mogador, name given by the French during the protectorate. At independence, it is definitely called Essaouira coming from the Berber Tasort (wall) or according to a different version of Saouira (image) because it was well designed during its construction during the reign of the Alawite sultan.
Although it experienced Phoenician, Geludes, Roman occupation, the foundation of this city really begins with the Portuguese occupation in the sixteenth century. The Portuguese built the first fortress in 1605 and gave it the name of Mogador before being chased away by the local population.
And Essaouira was really founded only under the reign of the Alaouite sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah around 1760. Since then it has known its golden age. Its port is the most important in the country, and its commercial development continues to grow. With a flourishing trade, its population grows, and is composed of various origins and ethnicities as well for the religions that coexist there in the greatest respect.
Its decline will begin at the end of the 19th century. Already there was the French naval attack on the city in mid-August 1844. The French protectorate followed in 1912, Essaouira lost its importance, ceased to be the diplomatic capital, its port is no longer the international port of past decades.
After independence, the Jewish community has left Essaouira, and the economy of the city is at its lowest. It was only at the end of the 20th century that Essaouira began to be reborn, largely thanks to tourism, culture and related activities.
