M O R O C C O
E S S A O U I R A
O V E R V I E W
Delightfully just slightly out-of-the-way, Essaouira sits on the stunning North African Atlantic shoreline, rich in history dating back to prehistoric times.
The city's UNESCO World Heritage medina is a typically North African maze of lively markets winding through narrow streets and whitewashed buildings, and the city’s identity first and foremost as a fishing village is constantly on display in its lively harbour, bustling with wooden fishing boats great and small, and fresh fish and seafood.
Many come here for the strong winds and north African swell, windsurfing and kitesurfing their way along the coast while absorbing the mix of North African and European influences that mark millenia of trade and exchange.
Here's what we think should form the core of your experience:
History & Culture
Essaouira has been known since classical antiquity as one of the best places to land along the Moroccan coast, and Carthaginians, Romans, Berbers, French, Genoese, and Arabs have all played a role here.
Some of this plurality can be seen in the way that the city once had 27 different foreign embassies to reflex all the trade which occurred between Africa and Europe, and much more can be seen in the way that the city was once 40% Jewish.
While the Jewish Quarter of Marakkech is a shadow of what it once was, much of this can be attributed to trade moving into larger centres, with its practitioners following accordingly, rather than persecution.
And yes, Essaouira featured in Game of Thrones Season Three as the set piece for the city of Astapor (Slaver's Bay), where Daenerys acquires her Unsullied army.
P.S. Lots of people will try and tell you that this is where Jimi Hendrix composed 'Castles Made of Sand'. He wrote, recorded and released the song long before ever having been to Morocco...
Cuisine
You are here to explore how the dessert meets the sea, married along the way with little bits of French and Portuguese thoughts.
You’ll find all the Moroccan favourite Tagines, and of course a healthy dose of fresh fish and seafood – look out for huge crabs, for example.
A classic experience in Essaouira is to grab your ingredients from a local market – vegetables, meat, or fish, and take them to a local restaurant who will tell you what time to come back, and prepare them for you.
Natural Beauty
The Moroccan Atlantic meets here with both a rocky coast, and a sandy beach, leading to a city planned by a French architect, chosen by an Arabic Sultan, and mixes Portuguese, French, and Moorish influences in an extraordinarily harmonious way.
That’s a lot to process, but the experience of being here and taking it all in is sublime.