Essaouira

Essaouira is a hidden Morocco. The ramparts, the port, the dance of the cawing seagulls, the immense beach, and the perfume of the sea air…

Nautical atmosphere

Thanks to the ocean breeze, Essaouira benefits from cool air. At the end of the morning, don't miss the colourful and lively spectacle of the return of the boats to the port, with their baskets full of fish.

Grant yourself a rare pleasure: try the grilled sardines or taste a small lobster in the port. Their freshness is incomparable and the atmosphere forever engraved in your memory… Then, return to town through the Bab El Marsa gate.

Bustling and well-protected medina

The Sqala of the Kasbash, the artillery platform on the ramparts, offers from its north bastion an incomparable view across the medina, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, over the port's Sqala and out over the ocean.

Leave the old European canons and walk towards the casemates that lead to the street. Some of the Kingdom's most famous marquetry craftsmen and cabinet makers have founded their workshops there.

They work on the wood of the sandarac tree and are deserving of your visit: their work is of a rare intricacy.

You will easily find the object that will eternally symbolise Essaouira, once you return home. In the Moulay El Hassan square, you can enjoy the numerous and lively café terraces and restaurants.

Mystical fraternity and exotic experience

The Gnaoua, descendents of African slaves, practice trance and faith healing whilst playing a syncopated music accompanied by singing and dancing.

Essaouira has been host for over ten years to a very popular festival, which takes place at the start of summer, and which promotes Gnaoua music whilst giving a wide opening to world music, jazz and blues.

Immense fine sand beach

Essaouira's beach is a long ribbon of around ten kilometres bathed in surf. Its sheer size is surprising and its tranquillity is reassuring.

There is an invigorating sensation from the ocean breeze as soon as you set foot on the immaculate sand.

Essaouira is above all a port. There is nothing artificial about the town with its eventful history. It is authentic Morocco, facing the ocean…

Proud ramparts

The first thing you feel tempted to do here is to walk around the fortifications. From the Kasbah's Sqala, the old artillery platform of the medina's maritime ramparts, the view over the port's Sqala, the ocean coastline and the medina, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, is remarkable.

At street level, in the souks that surround the Clocktower, some of Morocco's best marquetry craftsmen fashion sandarac wood with ancestral precision.

Noble crafts

In the Souss valley, and only there, the argan tree grows, from which argan oil is harvested. In town, the women's cooperatives that run the sector market this renowned oil.

Port and beaches

In the beautiful little port, which can be accessed through the Bab El Marsa gate, the return of the boats at the end of the morning is a daily event. The baskets are unloaded under the keen eyes of the dancing seagulls.

Take the opportunity to try some freshly-caught grilled fish in a gargote. On the endless beach, let the ocean breeze awaken your senses and stimulate your energy.

Regional arts

The Sidi-Mohammed-Ben-Abdallah museum, close to the medina's Sqala, presents a remarkable collection of regional art works. Marquetry furniture, costumes, jewellery, rugs, a veritable "Ali Baba's cave"!

There are also Arabo-Andalusian and Gnaoua musical instruments. Gnaoua music, which is syncopated and accompanied by singing and dancing, is promoted each year in June in an international festival whose extensive programme includes jazz and world music.

Behind the initial aloof appearance of historical site, Essaouira is a secret town that is not limited to a holiday catalogue.

Mystical fraternity

The Gnaoua are ancient descendants of original slaves from sub-Saharan Africa. Their traditions, which are musical, spiritual and therapeutic, mix African and Arabo-Berber influences.

At the start of the summer, and for the last ten years, Essaouira has been the host of a remarkable and edifying music festival dedicated to these mystical fraternities.

Falcon island

A fifteen-minute boat ride will take you close to the two Mogador islands, which are a true link between the ocean and the continent, but you are not allowed to disembark: it is a protected bird sanctuary.

It is possible to observe the flight of Eleonora's falcon. These islands, which were used by the Phoenicians as a stopover, housed a purple dye production workshop at the start of the Christian era.

Civilizations living in harmony

The old Jewish quarter, the mellah, is located in the north-eastern part of the old town. Its size shows that the Jewish community was very large in the 18th century and that the communities lived in harmony in Essaouira.

The restoration of this quarter is one of the local priorities. The souk's alleyways lead you to Moulay El Hassan square and its cafés, whilst walking through the boutiques, in particular those of the famous cabinet-makers that work remarkably with the wood of the sandarac tree.

Businesswomen

Everything that relates to the argan oil trade, from the processing of the argan nuts to the marketing, is in the hands of women's cooperatives. If you visit one of these cooperatives, these women will explain their work with great pride. In Essaouira, they always wear the white haik, a long piece of material that covers the body gracefully.