Essaouira City
ESSAOUIRA: The history of this city dates back to the 7th century when the Phoenicians founded an enclave, in the 15th century the Portuguese settled in this enclave founding the city of Mogador as a strategic point of military control, but the design of the present city is due to the sultan of the Alaouite dynasty Sidi Mohammed Abd Allah who decided to build a naval base, but there begins the great urban particularity of Asilah, the town planner in charge of designing the city was the French, T. Cornut who made a city with its urban grid and its defensive bastions typical of a European city.
The streets of the city center are rectilinear as in a European city and all the towers, walls, and gates are built with the styles of any European city of the XVIII century which produces in the visitor a strange sensation of not knowing where he is, whether in Europe or Morocco.
Also, the contrasts of this beautiful maritime city continue, the first enclosure of walls is purely European the second enclosure is already purely Moroccan, and the main arteries are Western superimposed on these are the alleys of a medina
The city retains all the walled enclosure of the eighteenth century with three gates, Bab Sebta, Bab Marrakech, and Bab Dukhala to which must be added the imposing towers called Sqalas, the port, and the ancient city. From the 18th century onwards, 40% of the maritime traffic passed through Essaouira, this is where the goods came from black Africa to be shipped to the big European countries.
From the foundation of the city until the creation of the state of Israel, Essaouira had an important and active Jewish community, which can be verified by visiting its famous cemetery. In the past, also in the center of the Mellah (Jewish quarter), the famous jewels were made by this community.
But soon the brightness of the city will disappear, Essaurira, “the sleeping beauty” as it will be known later waited for an “awakening”, energy to put it in the place it deserved… so much white beauty of lime and blue of windows, doors, and ocean
The first awakening will come with English and American hippies communities, they will speak and advertise the city something that the great guitarist Jimi Hendrix did like no one else, a regular in the city.
From that time is also the emergence of a particular pictorial style, halfway between the world (naif), art (brut), and a certain esotericism, some of these painters say that they work under the “narcotizing” effects of the intoxicating sounds of gnaoua music of African origin, one of the great Moroccan music considered healing music.
Another element that has given everlasting fame to the city is its cabinetmakers, before the arrival of tourism it was the main source of income. They are very famous for their masterly work following the ancient technique of inlay from Andalus, they make chests, frames, and musical instruments with the base of thuja wood and ebony wood, mother-of-pearl, etc..
Currently, the city is a paradise for surfers, the city is nestled in a geographical location where the winds are constant which causes waves appreciated by surfers who come from all corners of the planet. The good communication with the nearby Marrakech has caused the old “sleeping beauty” has finally awakened and show its fabulous charms to countless tourists from all corners and countries.
In addition to its whitewashed medina, the 18th-century walls, its two towers, the small ethnographic museum Sidi Mohammed ben Abd Allah, the Damgaard gallery, and its beautiful beaches are worth mentioning. Also noteworthy is the large number of good restaurants specializing in fish, and finally point out the anecdote that near port there is a church where on Sundays they ring their bells to call the parishioners to Sunday mass, following a scrupulous order, one Sunday in French, another in English, another in German.
