Marrakech Day Trips: Essaouira - Mogador

Famous for its culture and its festival, the City of the Winds, Gnaouas music, is also the joy for surfers from all over the world.
A popular seaside resort, Essaouira attracts thousands of tourists every year. More than a city, Essaouira is a muse that impress every visitor.

Discovered by the Phoenicians in the VII century BC. Used to be as an area of convergence of Carthaginian navigator Hannon in 500 BC, it serves, for several centuries, as an advanced standpoint on the road to Cape Verde and Ecuador.
Today, Essaouira is a haven of peace that inspires artists from all over the world. It belongs to the world cultural heritage of UNESCO. Its medina crosses the times and seems protected from the hardships of time. Behind the ramparts hide a luminous city with its tangled streets.

What can you visit in Essaouira?

During your Marrakech Day Trip , walking in the medina, you will be impressed by the architectural and decorative richness of its buildings. You will discover  sumptuous houses of consuls, mixture of Moroccan and European style. At the corner of an alley, you will probably meet a painter charmed by the magic of Essaouira captivating the beauty of the place on the canvas.

At the moment you are in Magador, the ramparts are interspersed by several gates give access to the town.. The five bastions, designed to protect the city, the Skalas of the port and the Kasbah, are particularly representative of the time when it was necessary to take defence against enemies.

The Skalas of Essaouira are armed fortifications with Spanish and Portuguese cannons dating from the 16th century pointed towards the ocean used to protect the city. An hour at the Skala Kasbah is a memorable experience, it is an opportunity to imagine the enemy ships trying to defeat the resistance of the ramparts.

Time to discover the medina,through its small streets, alleys and main squares, such as Moulay Hassan square or the square of the clock which rhythm the day by ringing the hours and the half hour.

We will go through Derb Laalouj to the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Museum presenting the cultural, handicraft and intangible heritage of the region. Old manor house dating from the nineteenth century, built on the model of traditional riads .

If you want to make purchases, the best way is the visit the amazing souks of Essaouira. The street Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah is often considered as the main touristic souk of the city, however, there are other local markets in the old Medina of Essaouira like Derb Lallouj , Mohamed el Qori, Skala , Istiqlal and Zerktouni avenues and finally the Souk Jdid. You will absolutly enjoy visiting the small handicraft shops and the art galleries where you will find many interesting local products: wood cedar articles, tradionnal carpets, jewelry of silver…

The old port of Essaouira is located at the gates of the medina. You will certainly appreciate the wooden boats used by the fishermen as well as its traditional construction techniques.

You will be seduced also by the smells of fish barbecue around open area tables, and restaurants, where morrocan tagine and couscous are also served. But the local gastronomy in Essaouira still reputed by its fish specialities.

You are invited to discover the great historic diversity and the rich cultural heritage in Essaouira by foot, on horseback or by camel ...

What is the local craft industry in Essaouira?

Like argan trees, cedar is a rare tree that can be found only in certain regions of Morocco, mainly in Essaouira, thanks to the specific geological and climatic conditions of these regions. The cedar tree is hard, rare and luxurious wood with a red color and an exceptional perfume.

The city of Essaouira has been known for several years by cedar crafts or the art of turning cedar wood into decorative items and objects. This art is not easy, only the craftsmen of Essaouira are able to work this typical craftworks, thanks to knowledge inherited from father to son. The production of Thuya Handicrafts goes through several phases and depends on many elements: wood quality, sorting, measuring and cutting, painting and polishing…long hours of hard work with great attention.

By looking closely at thuya handicrafts and products, you will be absolutely impressed by the quality of the craftworks, each item is unique objects with an attractive design, produced with love and passion. These items are classified as luxury products: gift boxes, trophies, luxurious accessories for offices, board games, and even some magic boxes ...

While visiting the souks of crafts in Essaouira in Marrakech, you will also notice that these craft objects of different forms and attractive designs are in continuous evolution, the craftsmen bring each time new ideas to better adapt the products to the fashion and the variables needs of society.

If you want to see the whole production process of thuya wood step by step, you can join a craft workshop during your next Marrakech Essaouira Excursion