Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Essaouira port
!
Ramparts
and the port, and everybody
passes through it at some point.
It's lined by small cafés, where
half the town seems to pass
half of its time.
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Map N2
£
The port
Essaouira's current layout
can be traced back to 1765. That
year, the town's local ruler
captured a French ship and hired
one of its passengers, an
architect, to rebuild his port. He
had the city surrounded with a
heavy defensive wall, much of
which still stands. The most
impressive stretch is the Skala
de la Ville, where you can walk
along the top of the ramparts
and examine several ancient
cannons.
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Map N1
@
Place Moulay Hassan
Guarded by a toy-like, square
fortress, Essaouira's port, the
Skala du Port, is still a working
concern complete with a boat
yard, where vessels are still
constructed out of wood. A daily
market kicks into life between
3pm and 5pm with the arrival of
the day's catch. Visitors can
watch as the fish are auctioned
off and follow that up by feasting
on fresh sardines, grilled to order
at the port end of Place Moulay
Hassan.
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Map N2
$
The medina
Place Moulay Hassan is the
focal point of Essaouira. A
square in two parts, narrow and
elongated to the north and open-
ing out at the southern end, it
lies between the medina proper
As in Marrakech,
Essaouira's medina is
a labyrinth of narrow
streets. It is, however,
not as hard to navi-
gate, bisected as it is
by one long, straight
street. This street
begins at the port and
runs all the way up to
the north gate, the
Bab Doukkala, under-
going two name chan-
ges along the way.
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Map P1
Place Moulay Hassan
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