Which city in Morocco with a population of only 80,000 attracts annually over half a million visitors on a consistent basis?
If you answered, “Essaouira,” you are correct. While Morocco certainly has other relatively small cities of interest, none of its size compare to Essaouira’s magnetic ability to draw tourists from all over the globe.
The New York Times featured the city’s allure just prior to last New Year’s Eve–a night when all hotel rooms with a 15 kilometer radius were booked solid, by the way–and provided readers with some little-known facts about this rather off-the-beaten-path destination.
Hollywood enthusiasts might be interested to discover that Othello–the 1951 Shakespeare-based motion picture film featuring Orson Welles–was filmed largely around the city’s ramparts, along with HBO’s Game of Thrones. In nearby Diabat, just south of Essaouira, a tribute to American guitar legend Jimi Hendrix exists in the form of a bohemian café opened in honor of his time spent here in the 1960s.
Local events which attract worldwide attention include the Gnaoua and World Music Festival in June, along with the Festival of Atlantic Andalusia, slated for the last week in October of this year.
The port is a unique venue characterized by blue fishing boats and markets stalls providing an opportunity to pick out your very own smoked fish dinner, while the medina provides the typical Moroccan diversity of wares but goes even further with a plethora of art galleries that appeal so greatly to cosmopolitan desires.
International cuisine abounds. Arguably the most authentic Thai food in Morocco can be found at Asian Red Food, in a modest corner of the medina. Of course, Le Taros is undoubtedly the most well-known spot for international visitors, and while you might have to wait a bit for your authentic Moroccan fare at The Casa–also in the medina–the freshly prepared, modestly-priced, visually-appealing dishes are worth the anticipation.
Accor Hotels employ two properties in the region–the Hotel Le Medina Essaouira Thalassa Sea and Spa MGallery, and the Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf and Spa–each with its own distinct array of amenities, and both are proximate to the ocean.
Surfing and camel touring are experiences which may be found elsewhere in Morocco, but it would be hard to imagine a more majestic backdrop.
Perhaps Essaouira’s most intriguing claim to fame relates to its Jewish heritage. As Morocco as a whole has one of the largest Jewish populations in the Arab world, it has historically treated its inhabitants of that faith with the utmost in religious tolerance and respect, arguably culminating in the official resumption of Moroccan-Israeli relations in 2020 with the Abraham Accords.
Of all cities in Morocco, Essaouira quite possibly displays a more apparent Jewish heritage than any other. The House of Memory, or Bayt Dakira–a museum/synagogue in the medina which proudly exhibits the most prominent highlights of amicable Islamic-Judaic relations over the centuries–is probably the most unique example of peaceful coexistence between members of these two religions in the region, if not the entire world.
Possibly the most appealing aspect of a visit to Essaouira during the summer months is the moderate climate. Unless the region’s typically brisk winds retrograde and back out the east—which is a climatological anomaly for the region—one is virtually guaranteed to be able to walk the city’s median in immeasurably greater comfort than in Marrakech or Fes at the same time of year.
With appeal on so many fronts, for how much longer can Essaouira possibly be considered a “hidden” treasure?