© R.P. Rizzo
The magical town of Essaouira overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, with its turreted walls, blinding white houses, seagulls flying over the marinas and constant wind, may remind you of the Brittany coastal atmosphere, but as soon as you enter the dense maze of narrow streets, you are immediately captivated by the typically Moroccan character of this town.
A bridge between Arab, African and European cultures, Essaouira has for centuries been a crossroads of trade and peoples, each of which has left its mark.
In Essaouira, one is not only attracted by the monumental bastions of European engineering or by its enchanting medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only by the windswept beaches dotted with small boats. In Essaouira, the interest of visitors is catalysed above all by the magical atmosphere of the place and its inhabitants, the Souiris.
Life unfolds between the port and the medina, between the souk and the fishermen’s boats unloading fish, between the fortified walls and the labyrinthine streets of the centre, in incessant processions of caftans and white veils, of carts and tourists, a constant bustle from dawn to dusk.
It has always been a cosmopolitan centre, and still today it is home to a mosaic of different origins, the Chiadmas of Arab strain, the Hahas of Berber strain, as well as the ancient descendants of sub-Saharan slaves, the Gnaoua. It is also considered the city of tolerance, where Muslims, Jews and Christians coexist peacefully, making it one of the most hospitable cities in Morocco. It is also the city of artists, craftsmen and musicians: the highly skilled wood sculptors give extraordinary performances of meticulous ingenuity and amazing creativity; for generations the street painters have been creating works whose colours are famous throughout the world.
As for music, the beautiful and hypnotic Gnaoua sounds, known and appreciated internationally, are perhaps the richest and most interesting aspect of Moroccan culture, to the point that a festival is dedicated to them every year, attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. The Gnaoua and Music of the World Festival is an unmissable event, an occasion to fully immerse oneself in the culture and art of this ancient people, with international guests, concerts and exhibitions. The events take place in the medina, whose alleys are filled with sounds in a fascinating mix of musical contaminations and cultural encounters. The main stages are set up near the two main gates to the centre, in Place Moulay el Hassan and Bab Marrakech, but the whole city becomes an artistic and musical theatre.
A trip south from Essaouira to the heart of the Pays de l’Argan, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is a must. The entire socio-economic life of the region revolves around the forest of argan trees. An indigenous tree found nowhere else in the world, it produces a fruit from whose nuts a precious organic oil is artisanally extracted in the area’s women’s cooperatives. Called the tree of life by the Berbers, its nuts feed livestock, so much so that goats in this region have developed the ability to climb the highest branches to get to the fruit. Its oil is a healthy food with digestive, anti-cholesterol and cosmetic properties. Berber women have used it for centuries as a beauty product for their skin, hair and nails, exploiting its infinite beneficial properties.
