From Marrakech, it was an uneventful drive back to the coast and to Essaouira, just that it started to rain, when we reached the coast – the first time since about one year we were told. We went to a campsite (Villa Coriandre), where we waited for the rain to stop, and of course, the next morning, it was sunny again.
Essaouira was a Phoenician foundation under the name Migdol, which was later ruled by the Punic (under Hanno the Great) and the Romans. In the bay of Essaouira lies the Islas de Mogador, a Phoenician outpost of the ancient world. The Phoenicians are said to have bred purple snails here.
In 1765, the Alawid Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah began developing Essaouira into the largest seaport in Morocco at the time. The French prisoner Théodore Cornut was commissioned to plan the fortifications and individual parts of the city.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Essaouira further expanded its important position as a hub in the caravan trade and achieved considerable prosperity. After the French occupation of Timbuktu in 1893, the city became increasingly less important over the course of the 20th century as its most important trade routes were interrupted.
The Medina of Essaouira, built in the 18th century, with its largely symmetrical layout, straight streets and two city gates – which is completely atypical for Morocco – was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.
We found a very good rooftop restaurant, called KSOU, where we had a lovely lunch. Highly recommended!
We left the city in the afternoon and found a great spot further north at the coast. (31.772066, -9.60123)
Our next stop was at Safi, the pottery town, where a big part of the Moroccan ceramics are produced. But Safi is also – after Casablanca – the country’s most important harbour and industrial location. The region around Safi is very rich in phosphate. The rocky and dust-dry soils are extensively blasted, excavated, crushed, chemically processed into granulate and exported as fertiliser.
We walked through the souk, explored the “Sea Castle” of the Portuguese, and found “Le Rooftop Restaurant” with sea views for breakfast.
We stopped at a famous beach along the steep coast, famous for surfing, just that nobody was there.
Oualidia has a fantastic lagoon and is famous for its oysters. A big camper parking was filled with mostly French snowbirds. We went for a walk and some seafood, but left the village, to find a more quiet spot for the night. (32.788715, -8.973181)
Since Oualidia, the landscape was very fertile, with farmers growing everything from wheat to tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and much more.
The next day, we reached El Jadida, where we explored the city walls and the old town called Mazagan, which didn’t really fascinate us.
The most important sight, the Portuguese cistern, was closed, because the roof had collapsed, and the sight waits for some renovations, which might happen one day, or maybe it is already too late?
A little rock from a passing car had hit our windscreen, and we were looking for a repair. At Casablanca, we found a Carglass shop next to a Total gas station. He immediately started to repair it, but wasn’t satisfied with the result, as a little bit remained. Therefore, he didn’t charge us anything. We are happy enough with the result.
As it was Friday, there were no guided tours to the famous mosque that afternoon, so we took a secured parking at the Corniche (33.581139, -7.702091) and decided to go early the next morning.
The Hassan II Mosque was completed in 1993, designed by French architect Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II and built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom. The minaret is 60 stories high. The mosque stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable.
Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and the country’s economic and business centre, with a population of over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, making it the most populous city in the Maghreb region. We were not in the mood, to explore more, and left in the direction of Rabat. Another big city to come!