Essaouira: camels and boats—maybe not heaven, but not a bad place

Essaouira is a small seaside city on the edges of the Atlantic, highly influence by fishing, tourism, and a fluxing artist community. They say that the Carthaginians under Hanno visited the area. And if that wasn’t reason enough to visit…

Wide, sandy beaches stretch along the cost, smoothed by gentle surf off the Atlantic. Unfortunately, even in June, the water remains somewhat chilly. These beaches offer unusual dangers and attractions: besides windsailing, it’s possible to ride a horse, ATV, or camel along the beach, a picturesque way to break up the monotony of a day at the beach; unfortunately, horses and camels litter the beach in a manner that can be unpleasant for the unshod pedestrian.

One of the particular charms of the city, however, is the port. Located in the midst of old fortifications, a small port, used mainly for fishing, holds hundreds of small fishing trawlers and boats. Locals bustle about, repairing nets, stocking ships, and cutting and preparing fish. A burgeoning seafood market spreads along the harbor. Fish gleam in the light, even at night their scales showing brilliant silver in the artificial port lights. Overhead seagulls soar and swoop, fighting over cast off fish bits. And the stench… well, it isn’t exactly aromatic.

Essaouira also has artistic pretensions—with an annual music festival at the end of June and, apparently, something of an artistic community. Neither of which I can evaluate, but the quality of the woodwork—highly elaborate and decorative—was the best I’ve seen outside of southern Germany.

But all things considered, there were boats and camels in the same city. Hard to top that combination.  

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