(Maroc Costa Atlántica) Essaouira

Essaouira (Berber: ⵎⵓⴳⴰⴹⵓⵔ Taṣṣurt, Arabic: الصويرة‎, as-Ṣawīra)
is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast.

The city was known in the time of 11th-century Geographer al-Bakri and, as he reported, was called Sidi Megdoul. In the 16th-century, a corruption of this name became known to the Portuguese as Mogador or Mogadore. The Berber and Arabis names mean the wall, a reference to the fortress walls that originally enclosed the city.
Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Portuguese establishment (1506-10)

In 1506, the king of Portugal, D. Manuel I, ordered a fortress to be built there, named Castelo Real de Mogador. Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized six Moroccan towns and built six stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, between the river Loukos in the north and the river of Sous in the south. Four of them only had a short duration: Graciosa (1489), São João da Mamora (1515), Castelo Real of Mogador (1506–10) and Aguz (1520–25). Two became permanent urban settlements: Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (modern Agadir, founded in 1505-06), and Mazagan, founded in 1514-17. Following the 1541 Fall of Agadir, the Portuguese had to abandon most of their settlements between 1541 and 1550, although they were able to keep Ceuta, Tangier and Mazagan.

The fortress of Castelo Real of Mogador fell to the local resistance of the Regraga fraternity four years after its establishment, in 1510.
The Portuguese-built Castelo Real of Mogador was defended under Abd el-Malek II by a garrison of 100 Moroccans. It was drawn by Adriaen Matham in 1641.

During the 16th century, powers including Spain, England, the Netherlands and France tried in vain to conquer the locality. Essaouira remained a haven for the export of sugar, molasses and the anchoring of pirates.

(Maroc) La Costa Atlántica y Sur en 4x4 (junio 2014):
Se suceden las ciudades fortificadas por los portugueses (Al-Jadida, Safi, Essaouira), un paisaje costero impresionante (playa de Oualidia y sus célebres ostras, el Parque Nacional Sous Massa) y el AntiAtlas agreste, donde reina el árbol del argán, con montañas y profundos valles (cascadas de Imouzzer des Ida Outanane, Tafroute). Una semana aprovechando bien los días largos de junio, de sol a sol.
Programa detallado:
dia 1 314km: MARRAKECH - KASBAH BOULAOUANE - CASABLANCA
dia 2 386km: CASABLANCA - AZEMMOUR - EL JADIDA - OUALIDIA - ESSAOUIRA
dia 3 235km: ESSAOUIRA - TAMRI - IMOUZZER DES IDA OUTANANE - AGADIR
dia 4 339km: AGADIR - TAFRAOUTE - TIZNIT - SIDI IFNI
dia 5 195km: SIDI IFNI - LEGZIRA - PARK SOUS MASSA - AGADIR
dia 6 260km: AGADIR - MARRAKECH
dia 7 : MARRAKECH


(Maroc) en 4x4 Marrakech Ouazarzate Tinerhir Zagora Taroudant (octubre 2011)
dia 1: (Maroc) Marrakech Telouet Ait Ben Haddou
dia 2: (Maroc) Ait Ben Haddou- Gorges Dades- Todra- Tinerhir
(Maroc) Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
(Maroc) Ouazarzate Kasbah Taourit
dia 3: (Maroc) Tinerhir Zagora
(Maroc) Biblioteque Tamegroute
(Maroc) Duna de Tinfou en Zagora
dia 4: (Maroc) Zagora palmeral
(Maroc) Zagora Taroudant
dia 5: (Maroc) Taroudant Kasbah
(Maroc) Taroudant Zouk
(Maroc) Taroudant Marrakech
dia 6: (Maroc) Marrakech Place Jemma El Fna
(Maroc) Marrakech Kasbah
dia 7: (Maroc) Marrakech Zouk

viaje a (Maroc) Tánger-Chefchaouen-Meknes-Merzouga-Fez-Tánger en seis días(diciembre 2009)
dia 1: Tanger Chefchaouen por carretera 108km
dia 1: Chefchaouen Meknes por carretera 193km
dia 2: visita a Meknes- Place El-Hedim, Mausolée Mulay Ismail
dia 2: Meknes Merzouga por carretera 454km
dia 3: Rio Ziz -Dunas Erg Chebbi en 4x4
dia 4: Merzouga Fez por carretera 484km
dia 5: visita a Fez Jdid
dia 5: visita a Fez El Bali
dia 5: visita a Fez el-Bali
dia 6: Fez- Tanger por carretera 421km

viaje a (Maroc) Tanger MergaZerga Casablanca Marrakech en cinco días (abril 2009)
dia 1: Tanger- MoulayBousselham por carretera 195km
dia 1: Merja Zerga en barco por la laguna
dia 2: MoulayBousselham Casablanca por carretera 231km
dia 2: Casablanca Marrakech por carretra 243km
dia 3: visita a Marrakech
dia 4: Marrakech -Valle de Ourika por carretera 119km
dia 5: Marrakech Tanger por carretera 570km

viaje a (Maroc) Tanger-Asilah-MergaZerga-Chefchaouen en cuatro días(febrero 2008)
dia 1: Tanger Asilah por carretera 62km
dia 2: Asilah-Lixus-MoulayBouselham por carretera 292km
dia 2: Merja Zerga en barca por la laguna
dia 3: Asilah-Tetuan-Chefchaouen por carretera 294km
dia 4: Asilah-ZocoHadElGharbia-Tanger por carretera 51km

viaje a (Maroc) Volubilis Meknes Merzouga Fez Chefchaouen en 5 días(diciembre 2006)
dia 1: Tanger Volubilis Meknes por carretera 271km
dia 2: Meknes Merzouga por carretera 454km
dia 3: Merzouga Fez por carretera 484km
dia 4: Fez visita
dia 5: Fez Chefchaouen Tanger por carretra 314km

(Maroc) Rabat Marrakech ValleOurika Tanger en 5 días(abril 2006)
dia 1: Tanger Rabat Marrakech por carretera 570km
dia 2: Marrakech visita
dia 3: Marrakech -ValleOurika por carretera 118km
dia 4: Marrakech visita
dia 5: Marrakech Tanger por carretera 570km