Portuguese fishing harbour and centre of argan oil - Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) 753; Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree 00955; Gnawa 01170
What and Why
Essaouira (Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort) is a fishing port established by the Portuguese during the 16th century CE. In the early 16th century CE, the king of Portugal, Dom Manuel I (né Manuel Aviz), ordered a fortress to be built there and named it Royal Castle of Mogador (Portuguese: Castelo Real de Mogador). Mogador was the ancient name of the city which comes from the Old Egyptian word 'mktr' or 'migdol', meaning 'small fortress'.
Since the 18th century CE, Essaouira has used its strategic location to reap business and political benefits: Mohammed III Ben Abdellah al-Khatib (محمد الثالث بن عبد الله الخطيب) used Essaouira as a strategic seaport to realign his kingdom for increased exchanges with Europe. One of his objectives was to establish a harbour at the closest possible point to Marrakesh (ⴰⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ). The other was to cut off Agadir (ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) and forced them to relocate to Essaouira. The favourable climate of Essaouira certainly helped its rapid growth.
The Jewish influence also came during the same time. Mohammed III encouraged Moroccan Jews to settle in the town and handle the trade with Europe. Jews once comprised 40% of the population of the city. The city flourished until the caravan trade died, and superseded by direct European shipping trade with sub-Saharan Africa. After the World War I, Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib) became a French protectorate (French: Protectorat français au Maroc) and hence the city shows a potpourri of Portuguese, Jewish, French and Arabic cultures and a mix of influences that remain visible in Essaouira’s architecture, lifestyle, and open-minded culture. Today, the city maintains its sense of multi-culturalism, with all ethnic communities contributing to its diverse heritage. Moreover the city is also known for its white-washed walls, vibrant souqs, and expansive beaches, Essaouira has a unique charm that attracts travellers, artists, and musicians from all over the world.
Essaouira is also the centre of the most important produces from Morocco, the argan (ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵏ).
Toponymy
Essaouira (Arabic: الصويرة) comes from its Moroccan Arabic 'ṣ-ṣwiṛa', meaning 'a beautiful small fortress'.
See
Medina (مدينة)
The medina of Essaouira is an absolute joy to stroll around. While it expresses the normal hustle and bustle of Arabian souqs, it is very clean, bright and orderly, and is a breath of fresh air (literally) compared with all the other souqs in Morocco, as it is breezed with fresh air from the sea. With the European influence and the fact that the city is more recently planned by the French, the medina is also very well and orderly designed. The fort and its ramparts are good example of European-influenced Arabic fort.
Essaouira was largely designed by French architect Théodore Cornut, who created a city plan blending Moroccan, European, and military architectural styles. The medina has a large variety of shops and eateries and is one of the best-preserved fortified cities in North Africa, with impressive walls, gates, and bastions that overlook the Atlantic Ocean. These walls, built to protect the port and city, today serve as iconic symbols of Essaouira and offer sweeping views of the ocean.
A more modern and French-influenced alley.
Essaouira is also a major art centre of Africa, and there are plenty of designers, painters, fabric artists putting their work on sale around the medina.
Along the streets we witnessed the main cultural emblem of Essaouira, the gnawa (Arabic: ڭْناوة) performance. Gnawa is a form of sub-Saharan African Islamic religious music. The world Gnawa is taken from the Hausa-Fulani demonym 'Kanawa' for the people from the city of Kano in Nigeria, which was once under Moroccan influence. Gnawa music is a form of spiritual healing and is often used to communicate with ancestral spirits. Gnawa is such an important cultural element of Essaouira that it is now an UNESCO ICH.
Apparently Essaouira is now the centre of gnawa and an international festival called the Gnawa World Music Festival (مهرجان كناوة وموسيقى العالم) is held annually in the city. As a result Essaouira is also inscribed as a UNESCO Creative City of Music.
The minaret of the medina at the exit.
Hammam (حمّام)
There are many hammam (Arabic: حمّام) in Morocco, in particular in Essaouira. Hammam includes a bone-cracking 'massage', hot and cold dips and a hard scrub through a luffa (a scrub-glove). Be prepared!
Buy and Do
Argan (ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵏ)
The famous argan oil comes largely from this region, which comes from the argan fruit. Argan oil is both used for culinary and cosmetic purposes, local and abroad. It is one of the main Moroccan produces and is responsible for a major source of income to the country. Having said that the production of argan oil is still very backwards and primitive as shown by the various production plants and museums around the region.
The laborious argan oil production process as shown, and I can attest that this is not a demonstration show. Argan oil is such a cultural stamp for Morocco that it got itself inscribed in the UNESCO ICH.
Berber women have traditionally been responsible for most of the argan oil industry. This time-consuming process, which includes drying, cracking, roasting, grinding, and pressing the argan kernels, is carried out in women’s cooperatives throughout the region. Not sure if this is the reason, but almost everyone that we saw were female.
Argan oil is renowned for its culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal uses. It is prized for its nutty flavour in cooking and its hydrating and anti-aging properties in skincare. Argan oil production also embodies the resilience of Berber culture and represents a sustainable practice that respects the environment. As a result, argan oil has become a powerful symbol of Essaouira’s heritage and is highly valued by both locals and international markets.
One of the sights of the argan plantations is that goats climb up to the trees and consume the argan fruits, as shown in the main picture above. There are rumours that these goats are actually put onto the tree by humans though. Nevertheless it is a great and interesting photospot.
Essaouira’s medina is filled with artisan shops offering local crafts, such as woodworking, pottery, jewellery, and textiles. The city is particularly known for its intricate thuya woodwork, crafted from native trees in the region and often carved into boxes and other decorative items.
Eat and Drink
Harira (الحريرة)
While Essaouira is close to the sea and is famous for its seafood, it is generally quite expensive. The local soup harira (Arabic: الحريرة) comes from the region. It is a bean-based thick soup infused with minced meat, egg, and tastes a bit sour.
Getting There and Around
Walk. The medina is a very pleasant market to walk around. A good half-day trip to explore the city. Essaouira is around 2.5 hours away from Marrakesh.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
Essaouira is best combined as a one-day side-trip from Marrakesh. The only public transport between two cities are buses.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation, it has been a major international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world.
The argan tree is an endemic woodland species found in the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in south-west Morocco. Rural women and, to a lesser extent, men living in the reserve practise traditional methods to extract argan oil from the fruit of the tree. Different tasks, transmitted by means of imitation and through non-formal education, are required to obtain the oil, which has multiple uses for cooking, medicines and cosmetics. These include harvesting the fruit, drying, pulping, grinding, sorting, milling and mixing. The specific hand mill is manufactured by local craftspeople, and the mixing involves the gradual addition of warm water in exact quantities. All the cultural aspects of the argan tree, including the cultivation of the tree, oil extraction, the preparation of recipes and derived products, and the crafting of traditional tools for the various tasks, contribute to social cohesion, understanding between individuals and mutual respect between communities. Argan oil is given as a wedding gift and is used extensively in the preparation of festive dishes. Traditional know-how specific to the extraction of the oil and its multiple uses is systematically transmitted by ‘argan women’, who teach their daughters from a young age to put it into practice.
Gnawa refers to a set of musical events, performances, fraternal practices and therapeutic rituals mixing the secular with the sacred. Gnawa is first and foremost a Sufi brotherhood music combined with lyrics with a generally religious content, invoking ancestors and spirits. Originally practised by groups and individuals from slavery and the slave trade dating back to at least the 16th century, Gnawa culture is now considered as part of Morocco’s multifaceted culture and identity. The Gnawa, especially in the city, practise a therapeutic possession ritual through all-night rhythm and trance ceremonies combining ancestral African practices, Arab-Muslim influences and native Berber cultural performances. The Gnawa in rural areas organize communal meals offered to marabout saints. Some Gnawa in urban areas use a stringed musical instrument and castanets, while those in rural areas use large drums and castanets. Colourful, embroidered costumes are worn in the city, while white attire with accessories characterize rural practices. The number of fraternal groups and master musicians is constantly growing in Morocco’s villages and major cities, and Gnawa groups – organized into associations – hold local, regional, national and international festivals year-round. This allows young people to learn about both the lyrics and musical instruments as well as practices and rituals related to Gnawa culture generally.
References
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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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