Essaouira is a city and tourist resort in western Morocco, on the Atlantic coast.The Medina of Essaouira (formerly “Mogador“) is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city, as an example of a late 18th century fortified town, as transferred to North Africa.The fishing harbour, suffering from the competition of Agadir and Safi remains rather small, although the catches (sardines, conger eels) are surprisingly abundant due to the coastal upwelling generated by the powerful trade winds and the Canaries Current.

Tourism is of growing importance, supporting boutique hotels established in traditional Moroccan riads, within the old town’s ramparts. There are a number of modern purpose-built hotels, running along the beach. The medina is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and ‘thuya‘ wood-carving (using roots of the Tetraclinis tree), both of which have been practised in Essaouira for centuries.

Essaouira is also renowned for its kitesurfing and windsurfing, with the powerful trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected, almost waveless, bay. Several world-class clubs rent top-notch material on a weekly basis.Parasols tend to be used on the beach as a protection against the wind and the blowing sand. Camel excursions are available on the beach and into the desert band in the interior.