Essaouira Fortress is one of the main attractions of the popular Moroccan resort city of Essaouira, lying on the Atlantic coast. The peculiar charm of the city makes this settlement hardly the most beautiful place in Morocco.
The first settlers who lived on this territory were Phoenicians (VII century BC). In the XV century the Portuguese settled in the city and built their citadel, called Mogador. The construction played an important military and commercial role, from here the Portuguese traded with all the countries of the African continent. However, the city was really rebuilt in the middle of the XVIII century. Sultan Mohammed II of the Alawite dynasty, who decided to make it a naval base. On his order, the French architect Theodore Cornu, who had previously built several fortresses in Languedoc, developed a plan of the city, according to which the settlement was built.
Those fortress walls, which can be seen today, were built in 1756. At that time the structure was called by the name of the settlement - Essaouira. In 1912 the French again renamed the fortress to Mogador, and in 1956, after independence, it was returned to its former name of Essaouira.
The Essaouira fortress is surrounded by strong walls with bevelled teeth, the main purpose of which was to protect the local population from pirate raids from the sea. Externally, these walls resemble classical European fortifications, while the interior was made in the style of traditional Muslim architecture. The walls of the citadel have several fortress gates. The main gate leads to the medina of Essaouira.
The fortification consists of two fortifications (bastions) - one in the south and the other in the north. The northern bastion is particularly interesting, as it houses a 200 metre high platform with ancient Spanish cannons that once shelled the sea coast. From here you can see the waves crashing on the rocks and the famous Purple Islands. It was here that the famous director Orson Welles made the film Othello in 1949.
