The old walled sections of North African towns are known as medinas. In 2001 Essaouira’s medina was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. It is an exceptional example of an 18th-century fortified town.
Morocco was a protectorate of France from 1912 until 1956 and there are many French influences to be experienced. Officially Morocco is a bilingual country, the official languages being Arabic and French but Arabic is what "the man in the street" speaks and French is taught in the school system. Many people also speak English, especially in the service industries.
Marakesh to Essaouira
Getting to Essaouira from Marakesh is easy. It’s about two and a half hours by bus and there’s some fab scenery along the way. Along the way you may see the strange sight of goats perched high in the branches of the Argan trees which grow only in this area. They are after the nuts from which Argan oil is made, used widely for cooking. Also en route you will pass through Berber villages whose female inhabitants dress in colourful clothes and wear lots of silver jewellery. Be cautious about taking photos as this is often considered rude. If you have permission it’s usually ok.
Essaouira - What to See and Do
Essaouira holidays offer good surfing beaches and traditional souks(markets) which are much easier to navigate than those in many other Morocco cities. They are laid out in a grid and you are less likely to ‘get lost in the souk’. (This can be fun but time consuming).
One of the reasons for this unusual orderliness is that the site was planned as a European style city on the African Coast. Essaouira's design was based on that of St. Malo in Northern France.Compared with Marakesh the merchants are rather unbusinesslike. They make an effort but they don’t seem to have the heart for the real hard sell - which makes a nice change as in some places the haranguing to buy can be a bit nerve-wracking.
- Wood Carving Workshops
Built into the ramparts of the town are a number of wood-carving workshops where craftsmen produce beautiful marquetry work from the local thuya trees, a mahognay-like hardwood.
- Walk the Ramparts
Like many old towns in Morocco Essaouira’s medina is walled and the ramparts are impressive as they are built on the cliffs. A really nice thing to do is to take a sunset stroll along the ramparts - a favourite with the locals too.
- Dine by the Harbour
There are a number of stalls which cook fresh fish straight from the boats. Fish doesn’t come any fresher that this. Delicious.
Moroccan Culture
Morocco is a safe, fascinating place. It is a Muslim country used to foreigners visiting. Having said that, scanty clothing is frowned upon and it shows respect for the Moroccan culture if women don’t walk around in halter tops and shorts. Tops that cover the upper arms and loose, longish skirts are both comfortable and respectful. Men have no worries in this area.
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