Essaouira

Essaouira, Morocco

In the past many people set foot on the land where Essaouira lies today... the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Portuguese, Arabs and the French.  The Portuguese were responsible for fortifying the town and centuries later a French architect was contracted by an Arab sultan in the 18th century to design the layout of the city to enable it to become an important commercial center.  In fact, the name Essaouira means "well designed".  Soon after, this town was considered an important commercial port on the route between Europe and Timbuktu, Mali.