Essaouira South: Sidi Ifni the Art Deco Spanish Enclave, Tiznit the Silver Jewelry Capital, the Souss Valley Connection, and the Route to Agadir
The Essaouira south route covers Sidi Ifni as the most complete single Art Deco Spanish colonial enclave in Africa, Tiznit as the Souss silver jewelry center, the Souss Valley agricultural connection to Agadir, and the coastal route south of Essaouira.
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Sidi Ifni: The Spanish Art Deco Colonial Town
Sidi Ifni, the Spanish enclave on the Atlantic Morocco coast 200 kilometers south of Essaouira, is the most completely preserved single Art Deco Spanish colonial town in Africa with the 1930s Plateresque-Art Deco municipal buildings, the Spanish Consulate, the Church of Our Lady of the Pillar (the most elaborately Art Deco single church in Africa), the covered market, and the airplane-shaped Civil Governor building representing the most coherent single Spanish colonial architectural ensemble in the continent. Spain maintained the Sidi Ifni enclave until 1969, the last colonial territory transfer in mainland Africa.
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Tiznit: The Souss Silver Jewelry Capital
Tiznit, 100 kilometers south of Agadir and 300 kilometers from Essaouira, is the most important single center for the Berber silver jewelry production in Morocco with the silversmith workshops in the medina producing the most elaborate single filigree and granulation silverwork in the Souss Berber tradition. The Tiznit medina with the pink pise walls, the medina spring (La Source Bleue) at the center, and the silver jewelry souk is the most authentically Souss Berber single medina in Morocco and the destination most recommended for the Berber silver jewelry purchase at the most competitive single price in the country.
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Souss Valley: The Argan and Agriculture Region
The Souss Valley between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas mountains, connecting Agadir to the south and Taroudant to the east, is the most productive single agricultural valley in Morocco with the argan tree orchards covering the valley floor and slopes, the citrus and the banana plantations in the irrigated valley bottom, and the Souss-Massa National Park at the valley mouth providing the most important single bird habitat in Morocco with the Northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) breeding colony that is the last surviving northern African population of this critically endangered species.
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Immouzer des Ida Outanane: The Waterfall Plateau
Immouzer des Ida Outanane, the Berber village on the Anti-Atlas plateau 60 kilometers north of Agadir with the seasonal waterfall (January to April) that creates the largest single waterfall in the Souss region, the argan honey production, and the almond blossom in February, is the most completely natural single Berber village day trip from the Agadir resort coast and the most photogenic single landscape destination in the Agadir province. The Immouzer Thursday market is the most authentic single Souss Berber rural market within day trip range of the Agadir beach resort.
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Taroudant: The Small Marrakech of the Souss
Taroudant, 80 kilometers east of Agadir in the Souss Valley, is the most completely preserved single small Moroccan medina with the intact red pise wall circuit, the Berber and the Arab souks, and the Saadian architecture that earned it the title of the Small Marrakech. The Taroudant rampart walk and the interior souk are the most completely authentic single medina circuit in the Souss region and the destination most recommended as the Agadir day trip alternative for the visitor who wants the medina culture without the tourist circuit of Marrakech or Fes.
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Essaouira to Agadir: The Atlantic Coastal Route
The Essaouira to Agadir coastal route of 175 kilometers along the N1 coastal highway is the most scenic single Atlantic coastal drive in Morocco with the argan tree orchards growing to the cliff edge, the purple-flowered echium plants on the verge, the fishing villages of Sidi Rbat and Cap Rhir with the lighthouse, and the transition from the Essaouira wind-swept Atlantic character to the calmer Agadir resort bay. The Taghazout surfing village 20 kilometers north of Agadir is the most internationally recognized single surf destination in Morocco and the recommended single surfing stop on the Essaouira-Agadir coastal drive.
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More in Essaouira
The Guanche Indigenous Population of the Canary Islands Were Amazigh (Berber) Speakers Linguistically Related to the Tamazight Populations of the Moroccan Atlantic Coast Who Were Progressively Conquered by Spanish Settlers in the 15th Century; The Battle of Alcacer Quibir in 1578 Where the Moroccan Saadians Killed Portuguese King Sebastian I Triggered the Portuguese Succession Crisis Leading to the 60-Year Iberian Union of Portugal and Spain Under Philip II; The Essaouira Pastilla au Fruits de Mer (Shrimp, Crab, and White Fish in Warqa Pastry With Saffron Cream) Was Invented in Essaouira as a Seafood Adaptation of the Classic Fassi Bastilla
Essaouira Practical: Transport from Marrakech and Agadir, the Best Riad Accommodation, the Optimal Visit Timing, the Wind Season Implications, and the Departure Summary
Essaouira Essential: The Atlantic Ramparts, the UNESCO Medina, Gnawa Music, the Mogador Portuguese Heritage, the Orson Welles and Jimi Hendrix Connections, and the Wind City Character
Essaouira History: The Mogador Portuguese Trading Post, the Phoenician Foundation, the Jewish Merchant Community, the Gnawa Slave Trade Origins, the 18th Century Sultan Rebuilding, and the UNESCO Recognition
Essaouira's UNESCO-Listed Ramparts Were Designed by French Engineer Theodore Cornut in 1764-1765 Under Sultan Mohammed III and Line the Atlantic With 17th-18th Century Bronze Cannons Seized From European Ships; The Gnawa and World Music Festival of Essaouira Attracts 450,000-500,000 Visitors Over 4 Days in June and Is the World's Largest Gnawa Festival; The Thuya Arborvitae Root Burl Exploitation for the Essaouira Marquetry Craft Is Not Sustainable as Burl Harvesting Kills the Root System Preventing Tree Regeneration
