Mogador, Marrakech
Mogador, Marrakech
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Essaouira

28 mar `24
29 mar `24

Located on a peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean, Essaouira is a magical city that is nestled behind its high walls. It is regularly ranked among the best destinations in the world.

Essaouira likes to surprise the traveller with its atypical architecture characterized by the pink ochre of its ramparts which contrasts with the whiteness of its houses whose doors and blue shutters remind us of the Greek islands.

Particularly appreciated for its sunny and temperate climate, and the quality of its beaches, the city is a popular spot for water sports enthusiasts from all over the world.

Bastion bab Marrakech
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Bastion bab Marrakech

Going back to the beginning of the 19th century, the bastion is in the form of a circular battery serving both as a powder magazine and an ammunition warehouse.

The ground floor of the monument consists of a series of vaulted alcoves dividing the space into eleven identical compartments. The floor has large embrasures where bronze cannons are placed.

The door was built at the same time as the Medina during the reign of the founding Sultan SMBA.
The door gives on the country of Marrakech and, intramural, on one of the principal arteries of the Medina.

Built almost on the axis of Bab Lbahr, the door is in the form of a square whose intersection of its diagonals constitutes the center of a semicircular arch.
This simple and sober type door is framed with cut stones (sandstone) without ornamentation.

Interests of the work

  • History: it was built at the same time as the wall.
  • Functional: its location in the Medina road system.
The sqala of the medina and the sqala of the port
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The sqala of the medina and the sqala of the port

They are two fortresses solidly built and equipped with a series of cannons to ensure the protection of the city. They had several shelters previously used for the storage of ammunition and the accommodation of soldiers. In order to meet their defensive objective, these two sqalas were built of cut stone and provided with surveillance towers, square or circular, and several watch towers.

The port Sqala
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The port Sqala

The port Sqala belongs to the initial nucleus of the Medina of Essaouira. It is an essential component of the defensive architecture of the Medina of Essaouira.

It had been designed to essentially protect the port against possible maritime attacks.

Architecturally, it consists of two fortified wings 200 m long intersecting at right angles. One, located behind the pediment of the Porte de la Marine, overhangs the solid ground and the refit basin, the other faces the archipelago and raises above the stores which were used previously to shelter the soldiers, ammunition and receive water supplies.

Interests of the Port Sqala:

  • Fortification of a military nature,
  • Monuments unique to Morocco and North Africa, recall the neoclassical style of European military buildings.
Sqala of the Kasbah
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Sqala of the Kasbah

The Sqala of the Kasbah belongs to the initial nucleus of the Medina of Essaouira.

It is located facing the ocean NW of the Medina and constitutes the main fortification of the city. It has a European-style fortress built exclusively of cut stones.

Unlike its neighbor, the Sqala of the kasbah is built on two levels:

  • DRC: houses a series of casemates used as ammunition and military equipment depots
  • Floor: accessible from the ground floor via a wide ramp, consists of a huge rectangular platform and a circular platform surmounted by a surveillance tower playing the role of a bastion.

The Sqala of the Kasbah has a set of artillery pieces purchased in Spain. These pieces are bronze cannons 3.25 m long, 150 mm caliber and 450 mm outside section to the breech, designed to launch at around 1500 m 10-pound balls. The copper used in their manufacture came from Mexico and Peru as evidenced by the inscriptions on the studs of the cannons. Most of these pieces were cast in Seville or Barcelona between 1743 and 1782.

The Enclosure
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The Enclosure

The wall of Essaouira dates from the 18th century. It recalls in certain aspects the architecture of the walls of the old Moroccan medinas and is distinguished by its defensive system of Western type (sqala / bastions). The part delimiting the Qasbah district and the wall on the ocean side are the oldest sections, some parts were built around the middle of the 19th century.
Menzeh Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah
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Menzeh Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah

Classified national heritage and world heritage of humanity by L4UNESCO since December 14, 2001. It is located at Moulay El Hassan square. The Menzah pavilion is the last vestige of the royal palace of Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, built around the second half of the 18th century at the same time as the Kabah district and the port.
Qasbah Mosque
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Qasbah Mosque

This building dates back to the 18th century and is one of the oldest monuments in the medina. The mosque consists of a square minaret and several annexes including a medersa and rooms for students.
Ben Youssef Mosque
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Ben Youssef Mosque

It is located in the south-eastern part of the medina and covers an area of ​​around 2080 m². The plan of the whole is fairly regular and is similar to the plans of neighborhood mosques.
Simon Attias Synagogue
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Simon Attias Synagogue

Built at the end of the 19th century, the Simon Attias synagogue remains the oldest and most important synagogue in the medina of Essaouira. Located in the heart of the Qasbah district, this synagogue owes its name to a Jewish merchant in the city. It has a central courtyard, a prayer hall, a mezzanine and other rooms.

The Portugese Church
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The Portugese Church

At the bottom of a partly covered dead end, the church, also known as Franciscan, is attached to the old Portuguese consulate (currently private property). Its facade and main entrance are closely encompassed in the adjacent historic fabric. The richly decorated entrance door, in freestone, is framed by two pilasters with capitals.

Copyright: The provincial council of tourism of essaouira

https://www.visiteessaouira.com

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