What to See on a Essaouira Tour
Essaouira is a fabulous Moroccan coastal beauty and a charming Atlantic port town colored in blue in white. It was once a popular pilgrimage site for hippies and is a favored tourist destination today, renowned for incredible waves for surfing. The windy city has a soft mild climate with temperatures that stay almost the same all year long.
Apart from beautiful beaches, Essaouira itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed for its numerous attractions and astounding 18th-century fortifications, set right on the seaside. Moreover, they often appear on TV, most recently as the fictional city of Astapor in the "Game of Thrones".
Since about the 5th century BC, Essaouira has been a prominent Moroccan trading hub. The Romans came to the city tempted by purple dyes that were made here of unique sea snails. The Portuguese converted the town into a major exporter of gold and ivory, of spices and slaves, that were transported from here to the New World after a long and exhausting transfer via the Sahara Desert.
The city was always multicultural and in the mid-18th century its population was surprisingly mostly made up by immigrant Jews, thus there is even an old Jewish quarter in town. Essaouira encompasses a delightful walled old town as well. The gates of the medina display the Islamic Crescent, the Star of David and the Scallop of Santiago, portraying its religious tolerance and valued friendship of different cultures.