Agadir - Essaouira
Agadir is an important fishing and
commercial port. It is also a seaside resort with a long sandy
beach. Because of its large buildings, wide roads, modern hotels,
and European-style cafés, Agadir is not a typical city of
traditional Morocco, but it is a modern, busy and dynamic town.
From
Agadir you drive through the lush green argana forests towards Essaouira, a friendly coastal town on the Atlantic Ocean. Argan oil,
used in cosmetics and cooking, is therefore ubiquitous in the region.
Little factories are managed by women.
Essaouira is the most picturesque and
relaxed coastal town along Morocco’s Atlantic coast. The town lies
on a rocky base surrounded by low shrubs and woods, projecting into
the ocean. An isolated spot battered by high foamy waves the whole
year round, it’s often called ‘the windy city’ and famous for kite
and windsurfing.
The old
citadel of Essaouira is entirely surrounded by city walls, the tall
houses towering above them– whitewashed and often with their doors
painted a fresh blue. The medina is quite orderly, with the alleys
laid out in a rectangular pattern. Essaouira also boasts a wide and
long beach south of the citadel.
The
Medina of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a UNESCO World Heritage
city, as an example of a late 18th century fortified town.
|