Essaouira (ESS-ə-WEER-ə; Arabic: الصويرة, romanized: aṣ-Ṣawīra), known until the 1960s as Mogador (Arabic: موغادور, romanized: Mūghādūr, or موݣادور, Mūgādūr), is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marrakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast.
Panoramic view of Essaouira Medina.
The name of the city is usually spelled Essaouira in Latin script, and الصويرة in Arabic script. Both spellings represent its name in Moroccan Arabic, aṣ-Ṣwiṛa. This is the diminutive of the noun ṣuṛ which means "wall (as round a yard, city), rampart." The pronunciation with pharyngealized /sˁ/ and /rˁ/ is a typically Moroccan development.
Until the 1960s, Essaouira was generally known by its Portuguese name, Mogador.
Historical Overview
Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. Essaouira has long been considered one of the best anchorages of the Moroccan coast.
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Phoenician plate, 7th century BCE, excavated in Mogador island, Essaouira.
Around the end of the 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE, the Berber king of Mauretania Juba II established a Tyrian purple factory, processing the murex and purpura shells found in the intertidal rocks at Essaouira and the Iles Purpuraires. A Roman villa was excavated on Mogador island. A Roman vase was found as well as coinage from the 3rd century CE.
In 1506, the king of Portugal, D. Manuel I, ordered a fortress to be built there, named Castelo Real de Mogador. Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized six Moroccan towns and built six stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the river Loukos in the north and the river of Sous in the south.
The Portuguese-built Castelo Real of Mogador was defended under Abd el-Malek II by a garrison of 100 Moroccans. During the 16th century, powers including Spain, England, the Netherlands and France tried in vain to conquer the locality. France was involved in an early attempt to colonize Mogador in 1629.
The present city of Essaouira was built during the mid-eighteenth century by the Moroccan King. Mohammed III tried to reorient his kingdom toward the Atlantic for increased exchanges with European powers, choosing Mogador as his key location.
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Map of Essaouira by Théodore Cornut.
Thédore Cornut designed and built the city itself, particularly the Kasbah area, corresponding to the royal quarters and the buildings for Christian merchants and diplomats. The harbour entrance, with the "Porte de la Marine", was built by an English renegade by the name of Ahmed el Inglizi ("Ahmed the English") or Ahmed El Alj ("Ahmed the Renegade").
From the time of its rebuilding by Muhammad III until the end of the nineteenth century, Essaouira served as Morocco's principal port, offering the goods of the caravan trade to the world. Mohammed III encouraged Moroccan Jews to settle in the town and handle the trade with Europe. Jews once comprised the majority of the population. The city flourished until the caravan trade died, superseded by direct European shipping trade with sub-Saharan Africa.
In the spring of 1864, the Commerce Raider, CSS Georgia of the Confederate States of America's Navy arrived off of the coast of the City as a reprieve from a hard winter's sail.
From 1912 to 1956, Essaouira was part of the French protectorate of Morocco. France had an important administrative, military and economic presence. Essaouira had a Franco-Moroccan school, still visible in Derb Dharb street.
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Climate
Essaouira is protected by a natural bay partially shielded from wave action by the Iles Purpuraires.
Essaouira's climate is semi-arid climate, with mild temperatures year round. The gap between highs and lows is small and summers are warm while winters are mild. Annual rainfall is usually 300 to 500 millimetres (12 to 20 in).
Here is a summary of the climate data:
| Month | Average High °C (°F) | Average Low °C (°F) | Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18 (64) | 9 (48) | 50 |
| July | 22 (72) | 16 (61) | 1 |
Culture and Festivals
Since 1998, the Gnaoua Festival of World Music is held in Essaouira, normally in the last week of June. It brings together artists from all over the world. Although focused on gnaoua music, it includes rock, jazz and reggae.
HOUSSAM GANIA - Songs 04 / 05 - Gnaoua Festival Thursday June 19 2025 - Essaouira, Morocco
Linguistic Features of Essaouira Arabic
The local Arabic dialect of Essaouira presents unique characteristics. This study provides a comprehensive descriptive analysis of the Arabic dialect spoken in the city of Essaouira (Mogador), offering updated data on its Muslim and Jewish varieties.
Examples of linguistic features:
- Plural formation: {12ū3a}: quite recurrent in the local dialect, it comprehends singular nouns with the schemes {12ǝ3}, {1ǝ23} e {1ǝ22}. Examples: šhūṛa (s. šhǝṛ "month"), fxūṛa (s. fǝṛx "baby bird"), dṛūba (dǝṛb "alley, street"), ṣdūṛa (ṣdǝṛ "breast"), kfūfa (s. kǝff "palm of hand"), qṛūda (qǝṛd "monkey"), ḍbūʕa (ḍbǝʕ "hyena"), ṣbūʕa (s. ṣbăʕ "finger"), dyūka (s. dīk "cock").
- {12ā3ǝ4}: quite common, comprehends singular nouns with the schemes {1ǝ22V3}, {1ǝ22V3a}, {1ǝ23V4}, {1ǝ23V4a}, {1ǝ23ǝ4}, {mǝ12ǝ3}, {m1ǝ23a}, {mǝ12V3}. Examples: dbālǝž (s. dǝblīž "bracelet"), ṣnādǝq (s. ṣǝndūq "box"), šṛāwǝṭ (s. šǝṛwīṭa "rag"), gnāfǝd (s. gǝnfūd "hedgehog"), ẓnāẓǝn (ẓǝnẓūn "mute"), mṣāmǝṛ (s. mǝṣmāṛ "nail"), qnānǝf (s. qǝnnūfa "lip").
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