A restaurant in Essaouira, February 2015

Essaouira, February 2015

The windy town of Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast just opposite the Canary Islands, but how different. February 2015.

Yes, it is the wind which makes the atmosphere of this town. Poor Essaouira, everyone writes about the wind first. A very, very old town, in the ancient times it was the most remote Phoenician outpost (they must have done their round of Africa expedition from here) and in the more modern times the place the Portuguese tried to take hold of a very convenient piece of the African coast — until the Moroccan kings conquered the European coastal fortress of Mogador making it an ever more important stronghold and the biggest harbour of Morocco. And yes, the town (after Marrakech) was the very end point of the famous caravane route to the mysterious Timbuktu…

With all the fisher boats tightly tied in the harbour and massive Atlantic waves attacking the coast only the sea birds and surfers find it all as usual and enjoyable. But yes, of course, the souk has its advantages and the carpet sellers are always ready for business…