Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It has 77,966 inhabitants as of 2014. The foundation of the city of Essaouira was the work of the Moroccan 'Alawid sultan Mohammed bin Abdallah, who made an original experiment by entrusting it to several renowned architects in 1760, in particular

Théodore Cornut Théodore Cornut, also Cornout, was a French mathematician and military architect of the 18th century, born in Avignon, who worked for the King of Morocco. Cornut initially worked as an architect for military fortifications in Roussillon. He ...

and Ahmed al-Inglizi, who designed the city using French captives from the failed French expedition to Larache in 1765, and with the mission of building a city adapted to the needs of foreign merchants. Once built, it continued to grow and experienced a golden age and exceptional development, becoming the country's most important commercial port but also its diplomatic capital between the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century.

Name and etymology

The name of the city is usually spelled ''Essaouira'' in Latin script, and in Arabic script. Both spellings represent its name in

Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic ( ar, العربية المغربية الدارجة, translit=al-ʻArabīya al-Maghribīya ad-Dārija ), also known as Darija (), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi ...

, ''ṣ-Ṣwiṛa''. This is the diminutive (with definite article) of the noun ''ṣuṛ'' which means "wall (as round a yard, city), rampart". The pronunciation with

pharyngealized Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound. IPA symbols In the International Phonetic Alphabet, pharyngealization can be indicated ...

/ṣ/ and /ṛ/ is a typically Moroccan development. In Classical Arabic, the noun is ''sūr'' (, with plain /s/ and /r/), diminutive ''suwayrah'' (); this is the only form cited in all dictionaries of Classical Arabic. Hence, the spelling of the name in Arabic script according to the classical pronunciation is ''al-Suwayrah'' (with ''

sīn Shin (also spelled Šin (') or Sheen) is the twenty-first letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Shin , Hebrew Shin , Aramaic Shin , Syriac Shin ܫ, and Arabic Shin (in abjadi order, 13th in modern order). Its sound value is a voice ...

'' not ''

ṣād Tsade (also spelled , , , , tzadi, sadhe, tzaddik) is the eighteenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician ṣādē , Hebrew ṣādi , Aramaic ṣāḏē , Syriac ṣāḏē ܨ, Ge'ez ṣädäy ጸ, and Arabic . Its oldest phoneti ...

''). In the

Berber language The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...

, which is spoken by a sizeable proportion of the city's inhabitants, it is called ''Taṣṣort'', meaning "the small fortress". In Moroccan Arabic, a single male inhabitant is called ''ṣwiṛi'', plural ''ṣwiṛiyin'', a single female inhabitant is ''ṣwiṛiya'', plural ''ṣwiṛiyat''. In the Berber language, a single male inhabitant is ''u Taṣṣort'', plural: ''ayt Taṣṣoṛt'', a single female inhabitant is ''ult Taṣṣort'', plural ''ist Taṣṣort''. Until the 1960s, Essaouira was generally known by its Portuguese name, ''Mogador''. This name is probably a corruption of the older Berber name ''Amegdul'' (spelled in Arabic), which is mentioned by the 11th-century geographer al-Bakrī.

History

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Antiquity

Essaouira has long been considered one of the best anchorages of the Moroccan coast. The

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

navigator

Hanno Hanno may refer to: People * Hanno (given name) :* Hanunu (8th century BC), Philistine king previously rendered by scholars as "Hanno" *Hanno ( xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤀 , '; , ''Hannōn''), common Carthaginian name :* Hanno the Navigator, Carthagi ...

visited in the 5th century BC and established the trading post of Arambys. Around the end of the 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE, the

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

king

Juba II Juba II or Juba of Mauretania (Latin: ''Gaius Iulius Iuba''; grc, Ἰóβας, Ἰóβα or ;Roller, Duane W. (2003) ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene'' "Routledge (UK)". pp. 1–3. . c. 48 BC – AD 23) was the son of Juba I and client ...

established a

Tyrian purple Tyrian purple ( grc, πορφύρα ''porphúra''; la, purpura), also known as Phoenician red, Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It is ...

factory, processing the

murex ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758 ...

and purpura shells found in the

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of Marine habitat, habitats with var ...

rocks at Essaouira and the

Iles Purpuraires Iles Purpuraires are a set of small islands off the western coast of Morocco at the bay located at Essaouira, the largest of which is Mogador Island. These islands were settled in antiquity by the Phoenicians, chiefly to exploit certain marine re ...

. This

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

colored the purple stripe in the

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tra ...

s worn by the Senators of

Imperial Rome The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. A Roman villa was excavated on Mogador island. A Roman vase was found as well as coinage from the 3rd century CE. Most of the artifacts are now visible in the Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum and the

Rabat Archaeological Museum The Museum of History and Civilizations (, french: Musée de l'histoire et des civilisations) is an archaeological museum in Rabat, Morocco. Opened in 1932, it contains the most extensive collection of archaeological artifacts found in the country. ...

. File:Phenician plate with red slip 7th century BCE excavated in Mogador island.jpg,

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n plate with red

slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

, 7th century BCE, excavated in Mogador island, Essaouira. Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum. File:Amphora of the Beltran 2B type late 1st or 2nd century Betique Southern Spain found between Mogador and Pharaon islands.jpg,

Betica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic ...

amphora found in Essaouira, 1-2nd century CE. File:Amphora of the Agora K109 type Agean sea 3rd 4th century CE found between Mogador and Pharaon islands.jpg, Aegean amphora found in Essaouira, 3-4th century CE. File:Roman coins excavated in Essaouira 3rd century and late Roman Empire.jpg,

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

coins excavated in Essaouira, 3rd century.

Early modern period

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

saint named

Sidi Mogdoul Sidi Mogdoul was a Moroccan Wali and religious leader who lived in the 11th-century. He was buried in Essaouira. Sidi Megdoul came from the noble Berber tribe of Regraga, and was credited with renewing the Ribat of Sidi Chiker. From his base in E ...

was buried in Essaouira, probably giving its origin to the name "Mogador".

Portuguese establishment (1506–1510)

In 1506, the king of Portugal, D.

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was ...

, ordered a fortress to be built there, named Castelo Real de Mogador. Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized six Moroccan towns and built six stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the river Loukos in the north and the river of Sous in the south. Four of them only had a short duration:

Graciosa Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese) is referred to as the ''White Island'', the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of , a length of and a width ...

(1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of Mogador (1506–10) and Aguz (1520–25). Two became permanent urban settlements:

Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...

(modern

Agadir Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...

, founded in 1505–06), and

Mazagan El Jadida (, ; originally known in Berber as Maziɣen or Mazighen; known in Portuguese as Mazagão) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located 96 km south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the r ...

, founded in 1514–17. Following the 1541

Fall of Agadir The Fall of Agadir refers to the conquest of the city in Morocco by the Saadians against the Portuguese in 1541. Background Establishment and trade role Agadir had been a Portuguese base since 1505. Before that, a few unsuccessful attempts to cap ...

, the Portuguese had to abandon most of their settlements between 1541 and 1550, although they were able to keep

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

and Mazagan. The

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of Castelo Real of Mogador fell to the local resistance of the

Regraga The Regraga are a sub-tribe of the Masmuda Berber tribal confederacy. They are also one of three tribes that formed the population of Essaouira, Morocco. The Regraga came from the Jbel Hadid mountains and introduced Islam to the region; the other ...

fraternity four years after its establishment, in 1510. Castelo Real Adriaen Matham 1641

During the 16th century, powers including Spain, England, the Netherlands and France tried in vain to conquer the locality. Essaouira remained a haven for the export of sugar and

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...

and as an anchorage for

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

De Razilly expedition (1629)

France was involved in an early attempt to colonize Mogador in 1629. As Richelieu and

Père Joseph A name suffix, in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accredit ...

were attempting to establish a colonial policy, Admiral

Isaac de Razilly Isaac de Razilly (1587 – 1635) was a member of the French nobility appointed a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem at the age of 18. He was born at the Château d'Oiseaumelle in the Province of Touraine, France. A member of the French ...

suggested they occupy Mogador in 1626, which he had reconnoitered in 1619. The objective was to create a base against the Sultan of Morocco and asphyxiate the harbour of Safi. He departed for

Salé Salé ( ar, سلا, salā, ; ber, ⵙⵍⴰ, sla) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Founded in about 1030 by the Banu Ifran ...

on 20 July 1629 with a fleet composed of the ships ''Licorne'', ''Saint-Louis'', ''Griffon'', ''Catherine'', ''Hambourg'', ''Sainte-Anne'', ''Saint-Jean''. He bombarded the city the Salé, destroyed three corsair ships, and then sent the ''Griffon'' under Captain Treillebois to Mogador. The men of Razilly saw the fortress of Castelo Real in Mogador and landed 100 men with wood and supplies on Mogador island, with the agreement of Richelieu. After a few days, however, the ''Griffon'' reembarked the colonists and departed to rejoin the fleet in Salé. After these expeditions, France signed a treaty with Abd el-Malek II in 1631, giving France preferential treatment, known as " capitulations": preferential tariffs, the establishment of a Consulate, and freedom of religion for French subjects.

Foundation of modern Essaouira (1760–1770)

The present city of Essaouira was built during the mid-eighteenth century by the Moroccan King. Mohammed III tried to reorient his kingdom toward the Atlantic for increased exchanges with European powers, choosing Mogador as his key location. One of his objectives was to establish a harbour at the closest possible point to Marrakesh.''The Anglo American, Volume 3'' by Alexander D. Paterson p.521
/ref> The other was to cut off trade from Agadir in the south, which had been favouring a political rival of Mohammed III, and the inhabitants of Agadir were forced to relocate to Essaouira. For 12 years, Mohammed III directed a French engineer,

, and several other Moroccan and European architects and technicians to build the fortress and city along modern lines.Of Essaouira: "He employed European architects to design it, one a Frenchman said to be his prisoner, and the other an Englishman, converted to Islam and known as Ahmed el-Inglizi— otherwise Ahmed the Englishman." in ''Morocco'', Dorothy Hales Gary, Baron Patrick Balfour Kinross, Viking Press, 1971, p.35 Originally called "Souira" ("the small fortress"), the name became "Es-Saouira" ("the beautifully designed"). Thédore Cornut designed and built the city itself, particularly the Kasbah area, corresponding to the royal quarters and the buildings for Christian merchants and diplomats. Other parts were built by other architects, including Moroccan architects especially from Fez, Marrakesh, and Rabat. The harbour entrance, with the "Porte de la Marine", was built by an English

renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

by the name of

Ahmed el Inglizi Ahmed el Inglizi ("Ahmed the English"), also Ahmed El Alj or Ahmed Laalaj ("Ahmed the Renegade"), was an English renegade architect and engineer who worked for the Sultan of Morocco Mohammed ben Abdallah in the 18th century. As described by his ...

("Ahmed the English") or Ahmed El Alj ("Ahmed the Renegade"). Mohammed III took numerous steps to encourage the development of Essaouira including closing off the harbour of Agadir to the south in 1767 so that southern trade could be redirected through Essaouira. European communities in the northern harbour of

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

were ordered to move to Essaouira through an ordinance of 21 January 1765. From the time of its rebuilding by Muhammad III until the end of the nineteenth century, Essaouira served as Morocco's principal port, offering the goods of the

caravan trade Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a very d ...

to the world. The route brought goods from

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

, then through the desert and over the

Atlas mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

to Marrakesh. The road from Marrakesh to Essaouira is a straight line, explaining the king's choice of this port among the many others along the Moroccan coast. File:Skala de Ville.jpg, City walls. File:EssaouiraRamparts.JPG, The ramparts from the

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

. File:EssaouiraCitadel.JPG, The Genoese-built citadel by the harbour. File:Skala du Port (js).jpg, Harbour scala. File:Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador)-113160.jpg, tower and walls File:Dutch cannon made by Adrianus Crans in La Hague 1744 installed in Essaouira Morocco.jpg, Dutch cannon made by Adrianus Crans in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

in 1744, installed in Essaouira.

Jewish presence

A Jewish house in Mogador by Darondeau 1807 1841

Mohammed III encouraged Moroccan Jews to settle in the town and handle the trade with Europe. Jews once comprised the majority of the population, and the Jewish quarter (or

mellah A ''mellah'' ( or 'saline area'; and he, מלאח) is a Jewish quarter of a city in Morocco. Starting in the 15th century and especially since the beginning of the 19th century, Jewish communities in Morocco were constrained to live in ''mellah'' ...

) contains many old synagogues. The town also has a large Jewish cemetery. The city flourished until the caravan trade died, superseded by direct European shipping trade with sub-Saharan Africa. Changes in trade, the founding of Israel, the resulting wars with Arab states, and the independence of Morocco all resulted in Sephardic Jews leaving the country. As of 2017, Essaouira had only three Jewish inhabitants. On 15 January 2020, King

Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...

visited Bayt Dakira, a Jewish heritage house, in Essaouira. File:Old Jewish quarters in Essaouira.jpg, Old Jewish quarter in Essaouira. File:Jewish cemetery in Essaouira.jpg, Jewish cemetery in Essaouira.

European trade and diplomacy

In the 19th century, Essaouira became the first seaport of Morocco, with trade volumes about double those of

.''The Anglo American, Volume 3'' by Alexander D. Paterson p.520 ''ff''
/ref> The city functioned as the harbour for Marrakesh, as it was only a few days from the inland city. Diplomatic and trade representations were established by European powers in Essouira. In the 1820s, European diplomats were concentrated in either Tangier or Essaouira. File:Essaouira Dutch Consulate 19th century.jpg, Remains of the 19th-century Dutch Consulate in Essaouira. File:Portuguese Consulate in Essaouira 19th century.jpg, Remains of the 19th-century Portuguese Consulate in Essaouira. File:Former Essaouira English Consulate.jpg, Former Essaouira English Consulate. File:Former French Consulate in Essaouira.jpg, Former French Consulate in Essaouira.

French interventions and Protectorate

The attack of Mogador by the French fleet Serkis Diranian

Following Morocco's alliance with Algeria's Abd-El-Kader against France, Essaouira was bombarded and briefly occupied by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

under the

Prince de Joinville The first known lord of Joinville (French ''sire'' or ''seigneur de Joinville'') in the county of Champagne appears in the middle of the eleventh century. The former lordship was raised into the Principality of Joinville under the House of Guise ...

on 16 August 1844, in the

Bombardment of Mogador The Bombardment of Mogador took place August 15-17, 1844, when French Navy forces under the Prince de Joinville attacked the Moroccan city of Mogador, modern Essaouira, and the island facing the city, Mogador island. The campaign was part of the ...

, an important battle of the First Franco-Moroccan War. From 1912 to 1956, Essaouira was part of the

French protectorate of Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. Mogador was used as a base for a military expedition against Dar Anflous, when 8,000 French troops were located outside the city under the orders of Generals

Franchet d'Esperey Franchet is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrien René Franchet (1834–1900), French botanist * Louis Franchet d'Espèrey Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey (25 May 1856 – 8 July 1942) was a French ...

and Brulard. The Kasbah of Dar Anflous was taken on 25 January 1913. In 1930, brothers,

Michel Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

and

Jean Vieuchange Jean Joseph Marie Vieuchange (1906–2003) was a French adventurer and medical doctor, best known for preparing for publication the hand-written notebooks of his brother, Michel, describing his discovery of Smara in the Western Sahara in November ...

used Essaouira as a base before Michel set off into the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

to try to find

Smara Smara ( ar, السمارة ''as-Samāra'', also romanized ''Semara''; es, Esmara) is a city in the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara, with a population of 57,035 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census. It is served by Smara Airport and Sm ...

. France had an important administrative, military and economic presence. Essaouira had a Franco-Moroccan school, still visible in Derb Dharb street. Linguistically, many Moroccans of Essaouira speak French fluently today.

Recent years

In the early 1950s film director and actor

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

stayed at the Hotel des Iles just south of the town walls during the filming of his 1952 classic version of "

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

" which contains several memorable scenes shot in the labyrinthine streets and alleyways of the

medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

. Legend has it that during Welles' sojourn in the town he met

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, another guest at the Hotel des Iles. A bas-relief of Orson Welles is located in a small square just outside the medina walls close to the sea. Several other film directors have utilized Essaouira as a location due to the photogenic and atmospheric qualities. The town was used in the filming of "The Game of Thrones" as the home of the Army of the Unsullied. The scene of the rows of crucified slaves were props to cover the Portuguese cannons. Beginning in the late 1960s, Essaouira became something of a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

hangout.

Geography

Iles Purpuraires with Mogador island in the background seen from the Essaouira citadel

Essaouira is protected by a natural bay partially shielded from wave action by the

. A broad sandy beach extends from the harbour south of Essaourira, at which point the

Oued Ksob Oued Ksob is a river in western Morocco that discharges to the Atlantic Ocean on a broad beach slightly south of the city of Essaouira and slightly north of the village of Diabat. The mouth of the river along with the nearby Iles Purpuraires is kn ...

discharges to the ocean; south of the discharge lies the archaeological ruin, the

Bordj El Berod Bourj El Baroud is a ruined watchtower located somewhat south of the mouth of Oued Ksob near Essaouira, Morocco. This structure is located on a broad sandy beach directly across from Phoenician ruins at the southeast tip of the main islet of Iles ...

. The

Canary Current The Canary Current is a wind-driven surface current that is part of the North Atlantic Gyre. This eastern boundary current branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwest about as far as Senegal where it turns west and later jo ...

is responsible for the generally southward movement of ocean circulation and has led to enhancement of the local

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

. The village of

Diabat Diabat is a village in western Morocco near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean about five kilometres south of the city of Essaouira. (Ellingham, 2007) The Bordj El Berod is a ruined watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortifica ...

lies about five kilometres () south of Essaouira, immediately south of the

. Essaouira connects to Safi to the north and to

to the south via the N1 road and to Marrakech to the east via the R 207 road. There is a small airport some away from the town, which schedules several flights a week to

Paris-Orly Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly an ...

, London-Luton and Brussels-South (Charleroi) and daily to

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

. File:Essaouira 9.76074W 31.50818N.png, Essaouira viewed from space. File:RoadToEssaouira.JPG, The desert road between

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

and Essaouira. File:Essaouira arganier (3) 1142.JPG,

Argan ''Argania'' (Tashelhit: ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵏ ''Argan'') is a genus of flowering plants containing the sole species ''Argania spinosa'', known as argan, a tree endemic to the calcareous semidesert Sous valley of southwestern Morocco and to the regio ...

tree near Essaouira. File:Essaouira beach.jpg, Essaouira beach.

Climate

Essaouira's climate is

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(''BSk/BSh'') with mild temperatures year round. The gap between highs and lows is small and summers are warm while winters are mild. Annual rainfall is usually . The highest temperature ever recorded in Essaouira was on 8 July 2022. The lowest temperature ever recorded was on 20 January 1988. The lowest maximum temperature ever recorded was on 15 February 2018. The highest minimum temperature ever recorded was on 13 October 2017. The maximum amount of precipitation recorded in one day was on 8 March 2013.

Essaouira today

The

of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage listed city, an example of a late 18th-century fortified town, as transferred to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

by European colonists. File:Xiphias gladius Essawira Morocco.jpg, ''

Xiphias gladius Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfis ...

'', Essaouira File:Essaouira, Fish Market.JPG, Fishmarket in Essaouira File:Essa3.JPG, Funfair in Essaouira File:Fishermen in Essaouira.jpg, Fishermen in Essaouira after a good fishing day File:Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador)-113160.jpg, Clock tower in Essaouira File:Book Market Essaouira 2007.jpg, Essaouira book market. File:Saidi Souiri Essaouira carpet.jpg, Saidi-Souiri type Essaouira carpet.

Accommodation

There are only a handful of modern purpose-built hotels within the walls of the old city. Newer international hotels have been built along the sea front, with local planning regulations restricting buildings to 4 storeys in height. There are also many privately owned riads, also known as ''dars'', that may be rented on a daily or weekly basis.

Activities

The

is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably

cabinet making A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (s ...

and 'thuya'

wood-carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

(using roots of the Tetraclinis tree), both of which have been practised in Essaouira for centuries. The fishing

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, suffering from the competition of

and Safi remains rather small, although the catches (

sardine "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...

conger eel ''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during t ...

s) are surprisingly abundant due to the coastal

upwelling Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The nutr ...

generated by the powerful

trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...

and the Canaries Current. Essaouira remains one of the major fishing harbours of Morocco. Essaouira is also renowned for its

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

, with the powerful trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected, almost waveless, bay. Several world-class clubs rent top-notch material on a weekly basis. The township of Sidi Kaouki is located 25 km south of Essaouira and is becoming one of the best locations in Morocco for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. There are several businesses in Sidi Kaouki which offer gear rental. Essaouira is also a center of

argan oil Argan oil is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree (''Argania spinosa'' L.), which is indigenous to Morocco. In Morocco, argan oil is used to dip bread in at breakfast or to drizzle on couscous or pasta. It is also used for cosm ...

production. It has become a tourist attraction due to the tree-climbing goats who are unique to the region, as argan trees are the only type the goats climb.

Education

Franco-Moroccan school in Derb Dharb street Essaouira

There is a French international school in Essaouira, Groupe scolaire Eric-Tabarly.

Culture

Gnaoua (Gnawa) musicians performing during the 2010 Gnaoua festival in the city of Essaouira, Morocco

Essaouira presents itself as a city full of culture: several small art galleries are found all over the town. Since 1998, the Gnaoua Festival of World Music is held in Essaouira, normally in the last week of June. It brings together artists from all over the world. Although focused on

gnaoua The Gnawa (or Gnaoua, Ghanawa, Ghanawi, Gnawi'; Arabic: ڭناوة) are an ethnic group inhabiting Morocco. The name Gnawa probably originated in the indigenous language of North Africa and the Sahara Desert. The phonology of this term accordi ...

music, it includes rock, jazz and reggae. Dubbed as the "Moroccan

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

" it lasts four days and attracts annually around 450,000 spectators.

Sights

* Medina * Fortifications: ** Sqala du Port ** Sqala de la Kasbah * The most picturesque gates: ** Port de la Marine ** Bab Manjana with clocktower * Tagart beach (with sand dunes) * Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption church (catholic, operational) * Sidi Mogdoul mosque * Sidi Mogdoul lighthouse * Ben Youssef mosque

International relations

Essaouira is twinned with: *

Changshu Changshu (; Suzhounese: /d͡ʐan¹³ ʐoʔ²³/) is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. It borders the prefecture-level city of Nantong to the northeast across the Yangt ...

, China *

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

, France

Notable people

Albert Almoznino Albert Almoznino ( he, אלברט אלמוזנינו; March 3, 1923 – April 7, 2020) was an Israeli hand shadow artist. He gained international recognition in the years 1958-1975 when he performed his hand shadow skills in front of thousands of ...

, hand shadow artist *

Jacques Amir Ya'akov Jacques Amir ( he, יעקב ז'אק אמיר; 15 March 1933 – 31 March 2011) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1974 and 1988. Biography Born Jacques Amzalag in Essaouira in Mor ...

, politician * Rabbi David Hanania Pinto, founder of Chevrat Pinto and Orot Haim VeMoshe Institutions, and grandson of the Tzadik Rabbi Haim Pinto *

André Azoulay André Azoulay ( ar, أندري أزولاي, Berber: ⴰⵏⴷⵔⵉ ⴰⵣⵓⵍⴰⵢ, born 17 April 1941) is a Moroccan Jewish senior adviser to king Mohammed VI of Morocco.

, adviser to the King *

David Bensoussan David Bensoussan (born 1947) is a Moroccan-Canadian author and educator. Bensoussan has worked in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the École de technologie supérieure of the Université du Québec since 1980. He is best known for his h ...

, author of memoir ''Le fils de Mogador'' * Meir Cohen, politician * Victor Elmaleh, businessman and national champion handball and squash player. *

Edmond Amran El Maleh Edmond Amran El Maleh ( ar, إدمون عمران المالح) (30 March 1917 – 15 November 2010) was a Moroccan Jewish writer of Berber extraction. Biography El Maleh was born in Safi, Morocco to a Jewish Berber family. He moved to Paris ...

, writer

Notes

External links

UNESCO World Heritage site: Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador)Website of the Urban Agency of Essaouira
{{Authority control Cities in Morocco Former Portuguese colonies Kingdom of the Algarve Phoenician colonies in Morocco Populated places in Essaouira Province Port cities and towns on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

World Heritage Sites in Morocco