"Mohamed Barakat," it is with this sentence that the City of Easterly received his visitors.
The expression, written on a small building, is installed, since the 70s, to reproduce the sign characteristic twinning between the holy cities of Islam and Essaouira. The city is built on a rocky peninsula that juts into the ocean in a series of islands scattered over the littoral.Essaouira, white and blue, is exposed to winds and spring tides. Walled successive breakthrough many doors and an imposing fortress rhythmic forts and bastions. The city is located 350 km south of the business metropolis of Casablanca, 175 km west of Marrakech and 820 km north of Laâyoune.Longeant Avenue Mohammed V, which separates the new town and district administrative the Corniche, a panoramic view across the calm sea can not pass inaperçue.Le port city is the first place to visit.
is the rationale for the creation of the city. At the time, he was the hotspot. The whole life of the city was organized around him. It was the sardine port and the largest grain in all of Morocco. Both fishing port, commercial port and field naval.Au heart of this port, the monumental gate, "Porte de la Marine", is built entirely of stone. The pediment, an Arabic inscription dates the date of construction to 1184 of the Hegira (1771). A door style terraced Manueline allows access to Skala port. The latter is a walled platform 200 m long, consisting of two wings that intersect at right angles to each side of the Gate of the Navy. It is dominated in the east and west ends by two square towers solidly built of stone and flanked each of four kilns. Skala on the port, you can admire the island Mogador. The place where the civilizations of ancient Mediterranean implanted their trading posts and factories purple. Leaving the port of Skala, it descends to the Place Moulay Hassan, the former site of the Palais Royal, where currently installed are several outdoor cafes and bazaars. The street along the ramparts of the city hosting the winter swell and formerly assaults bombers, leads us to the majestic Skala of the medina, or Skala de la Kasbah. It consists of a platform built solidly on two levels with two monumental doors overlooking the Kasbah and a third leading to Derb Bni Antar. The medina of Essaouira
resembles the city of St. Malo in France. The two towers of the port of Skala is identical to the Tower of Belem in Lisbon, on the List of World Heritage. Medina covers thirty acres divided into clearly defined areas. Six monumental gates whose berries are stone ensure communication of the historic center with its environment. Laâlouj on the street, the synagogue Attiya symbolizes the friendliness that existed between Muslim and Jewish inhabitants of the city. Instead Chefchaouni or place evokes the Mediterranean Andalusian architecture. From beneath the clock, we will find the rest of the gardens of Mechouar that will lead us to the other lanes of the medina. Down to the Avenue Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, we find the zaouias and former Dheba Dar, former bank where they struck the coins in the nineteenth siècle.Pour source, the Souiris move towards the Zerktouni avenue that brings butchers, vegetable and knitters. This place must be traversed with great piety as it contains large zaouias ville.Au the north of the city is Doukala Bab, a monument of great importance consists of a main door, combined with two other side, for previously to housing custodians and repositories. On one side of the door, we have access to Mellah old neighborhood where Jews resided in the city until 1967.
On the other hand, it runs along the wall to return to Medina through a small door that can cross the street Chbanate. While crossing the street, we dream of the city past the Moroccan tribes from moving into the city wanted maintain their lifestyle. Thus, it is possible to appreciate the particularities of the neighborhood souiri: the shop alongside Koranic school, workshop, bath Moorish mosque, the oven, the fountain and the riad. Since its inception, Mogador has been a crossroads of cultures and civilizations. The city is inhabited by these tribes, but also families from all backgrounds. Today, Essaouira is the capital of a province of almost one million inhabitants. The city lives mainly handicrafts, tourism and fisheries (third sardine port in Morocco). Industrial life is well represented, with fish canneries and a large tannery creates a beautiful work of leather (leather goods, clothes ...).
Among artisans, cabinet makers specialize in working with wood and roots cedar (softwood Arrar) they married in the scholarly inlays with lemon, cedar but also ebony, pearl and precious metals . Carve jewels gold and silver filigree, very specific work to the city. The artistic life in Essaouira, particularly in the field of painting and sculpture, is very intense. Essaouira is still a magical place of artistic creativity focused on cultural heritage marocain.La city has always attracted artists and writers worldwide. Many of them have lived there periodically. To name a few: Erik Orsenna, Scott Simons, Patrice Chereau, the Living Theatre troupe, but also musicians: Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Hendrix, the Rolling Stones ... In the years 1960-70, the city and its surroundings undergo hippy who brings with her music and her concerts rock.Mais today, these rhythms are silent again to leave the place in the wind and the traditional music of the Gnawa and the fusion of cultures. Now, festivals and cultural events organized in Essaouira are best known in Morocco and abroad ...
The city of Essaouira's medina kept relatively recent (two centuries) is fairly well preserved compared to other old towns in Morocco. However, it is increasingly facing problems of degradation due to lack of maintenance, over-densification and erosion naturelle.En addition to the aging structures and materials, the built environment is acted Sea (physical and chemical), wind erosion (strong winds throughout most of the year), the infiltration of rainwater and rising damp. On the other hand, the high density areas within the historic center causes the breakdown traditional houses the most spacious in many households. The problem of joint ownership and real estate speculation also involved in the degradation process initiated by nature. However, several restoration, rehabilitation and upgrading have been made in recent years. Among the most important: The restoration of part of the ramparts on the sea side (southern section), consolidation (sealing of leaks) and restoration of a section of the wall of the Jewish quarter, restoration and rehabilitation of the western bastion space of art exhibition. The repair of the arcades of the souk jdid a faux stone plaster, the system remediation of the medina, the historic fountains in the medina. The restoration of all the wall-side down on an area of 20,000 m2 by the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Municipality of Essaouira. The overall cost of this operation was about 2 million dirhams. The historic port of Skala has also been restored and the monumental gates and neighborhoods. These operations were carried out by the Inspectorate of Monuments and Sites of Essaouira, Localizing Agenda 21 Programme, the ADEFRAM (Association of trade development between France and Morocco), Association of Journeymen of duty, the municipality Essaouira, the Development Authority of operation of ports, ENDA-Maghreb (international NGO) and the National Drinking Water. Thus, all the national heritage monuments are restored to 80%, besides the efforts of the private sector and individuals are increasingly sensitive to the cultural heritage of the city (restoration and rehabilitation of old houses with the technical assistance of relevant departments). Further efforts remain necessary because of the dilapidated state of some monuments.
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