Welcome back dear friends. In our previous blog we wrote about our one day visit to Casablanca, Morocco’s economic and commercial hub. Casablanca is the best representation of the modern nation, the place where money is being made.
On July 01, 2024 we leave marina Bouregreg of Rabat at 11.30 with the outgoing tide and start our 310 Nm sail towards Agadir. We will be two nights at sea and expect to arrive around noon.
View from our boat of the Dubai-esque marina development between Agadir’s famous beach and commercial port. The complex of white neo-kasbahs has holiday apartments and an abundance of cafes and restaurants. A nice and safe place to hang around.
The white text on the mountain reads: God – Motherland – King.
The white walls on top of the mountain are the remains of Agadir Oufella. More of that later.
Thanks to its sandy beach with clean water and 300 sunny days a year, Agadir has become Morocco’s premier destination for the, mainly European, package tour holiday maker. Families with children will enjoy relaxing on the beach and wandering around a handful of sights.
We were in Agadir in the middle of the tourist season. It was pleasantly busy everywhere with many activities taking place in the city. The Timitar festival was being held on Jul 4 – 6 and concerts were organised in three different locations downtown, all in walking distance and admission free! Below a few examples of the performances.
This year’s festival was centred on Amazigh (Berber) music, with performances from Hamid Inerzaf and Oudaden, as well as traditional groups like Ahwach Taliouine, Ahwach Tata, and Ahwach Imin Tanout.
Our oldest nephew came over for a visit with his girlfriend and the first sight we visited was the Kasbat Souss. It looks and feels like a souk but instead of ordinary shops you will find an array of artisan workshops where you actually witness the artisans at work. Click thumbnail for larger photo.
Later that day we continued to “La Medina d’Agadir”. In 1960, Kasbah Agadir Oufella was destroyed by a devastating earthquake, and Agadir lost its medina. More about that later in this blog.
In 1992 a new miniature medina was constructed. It is basically and open air-museum with a mix of Amazigh – Greek and Roman styles. Some shops are occupied by craftsmen or designers but there is notably less activity than in the Kasbat Sous.
The following morning we visit the “Musée du Patrimoine Amazigh” or Amazigh (Berber) Heritage Museum. This municipal museum brings together handcrafted jewellery and objects from the Amazigh culture. However the contemporary art exhibitions in the same building is much larger. Click thumbnail for larger image.
With lunch finished, these “musicians” caught our attention with their rhythmic tunes. At first they would not let us film them, but hey, this is Morocco. You can talk your way in (or out) with almost anything. We became best friends.
Making Amlou, a Moroccan spread made with just three ingredients: almonds, honey and argan oil. Affectionately referred to as Moroccan Nutella by Moroccans, it is traditionally enjoyed at breakfast or teatime alongside breads, pancakes, yogurt or cheeses.
In 1505 the Portuguese build a wooden castle at the foot of a hill near a spring. This location is now known as the neighbourhood “Founty” in modern day Agadir. In 1540 the Sa’di sultan Muhammad al-Shaykh occupied the main hill above the Portuguese, and installed artillery to prepare an attack on the fortress below. The siege of the colony was successfully concluded on 12 March 1541, and got the Portuguese expelled.
After the Sa’di victory the site was then left unoccupied for years until Muhammad al-Shaykh’s successor, Abdallah al-Ghalib, built a new fortress (or kasbah) on the hilltop. It was now called Agadir N’Ighir (literally: “fortified granary of the hill”).
In the 17th century, during the reign of the Berber dynasty of Tazerwalt, Agadir was a harbour of some importance, expanding its trade with Europe. This prosperity ended in the 1760s, when the Alaouite Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah diverted the trade to Essaouira and Agadir fell into decline.
When the French occupied the area the city of Agadir and Founty totalled less than 1000 inhabitants. The French made great effort to develop the port and to build a modern city.
By 1960, Agadir numbered over 40,000 residents when at 15 minutes to midnight on 29 February 1960, it was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake, burying the city and killing more than a third of the population. The earthquake destroyed the old Kasbah.
The authorities, unable to cope with the apocalyptic aftermath of death and disease, sprayed the area with lime and DDT, and left the dead where they had been buried in the collapsed city.
We take the cable car up to Agadir Oufella on top of the main hill. The mound in the foreground is Old Talborjt, a district that was also destroyed during the earthquake. Razed to the ground after the earthquake and now overgrown, it is classified as non-buildable area. The area is named “Forêt urbaine d’Agadir” in Google Maps.
For the coming days we rent a car to explore the area around Agadir, but that is subject for the next blog. Thank you for reading our stories and following our journey. We hope you liked it.
Warm regards; Liza and Frits