Essaouira is the windy city of North Africa. The city gives you the feeling as if time has stopped for a moment. You can take a step back and just relax.
With her beautiful ancient medina and impressive city walls, picturesque harbor and stretched bay, Essaouira charms immediately her visitors.
Essaouira means the beautifully designed, the legend Essaouira has been narrated, song and filmed by many artist. Some even think that it might be the famous cerné island described in ancient history.
In the 6th century BC the first inhabitants, the barbers, called the city Amegdul meaning the wall kept. Its became an important treading port for the Greeks Phoenician’s and Carthaginians in lst BC.
Gateway between Africa occident it generated important goods traffic and so was called the Port of Tombouctou. The Portuguese built castello real in 1506.After their brief stay, the new name comes Mogadura, from the local saint called sidi Magdul, but it soon grew due to the commercial activities of the Jewish.
Thanks to the sultan Sidi Mohamed ben Abdallah, it became souira »the small fortress». In 1765 the sultan called the French architect Theodore Cornut to build a commercial harbor and encouraged Moroccan Jews to settle in the town and handle the trade with Europe. Jews once comprised 40% of the population, and the Jewish quarter, or mellah remains, containing many old synagogues. The town also has a large Jewish cemetery. The city flourished until the caravan trade died, outmoded by direct European trade with sub-Saharan Africa. When the French protectorate was established in 1912, the town was rebaptised Mogador and lost much its importance to the up and coming port cities Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir. With independence, in 1956, the sleepy backwater again became Essaouira.
Essaouira was discovered by the hippie movement in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Rock stars such as Jimmy Hendrix and Cat Stevens began spending time in the city and its neighboring villages, and the Living Theater of Julian Beck and Judith Malina found a home there for a time. Because of the presence of such celebrities, Essaouira became a destination for young people and artists who left an important mark on the cultural tourism that would develop later.
Tourists are drawn to Essaouira by its art scene, its Gnaoua culture and music, and the excellent kite- and windsurfing conditions. There are a number of annual music and art festivals, the biggest one being the Gnaoua World Music Festival in June. It brings together artists from all over the world. Although focused on Gnaoua music, it includes rock, jazz and reggae, dubbed as the "Moroccan Woodstock" it lasts four days and attracts annually around 450,000 spectators. Numerous Moroccan and foreign artists reside in the city, which is renowned for is fine dining and its relaxed ambience.
Essaouira has been called out to be UNESCO World Heritage since 1998.
