• The Medina of Essaouira, formerly named Mogador (name originating from the Phoenician word Migdol meaning a « small fortress. It is an outstanding example of a fortified town of the mid-eighteenth century, surrounded by a wall influenced by the Vauban model.
• It was constructed according to contemporary European military architecture principles, in a North African context, in perfect harmony with Arabo-Muslim architecture and town-planning precepts. It has played a major role over the centuries as an international trading seaport, linking Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa with Europe and the rest of the world.
• The town is also an example of a multicultural centre, as proven by the coexistence since its foundation of diverse ethnic groups, such as the Amazighs, Arabs, Africans, and Europeans, and multiconfessional (Muslim, Christian, etc. Jewish).
• Indissociable from the Medina, the Mogador archipelago comprises many cultural and natural sites of Outstanding Universal Value. Its relatively late foundation compared to other medinas of North Africa was the work of the Alaouite Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah (1757-1790), who wished to make this small Atlantic town a royal port and chief Moroccan commercial centre open to the outside world.
• Known for a long time as the Port of Timbuktu, Essaouira became one of the major Atlantic commercial centres between Africa and Europe at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century.
• Essaouira is fortunate to have an excellent climate, with cooling sea breezes in the summer (also suitable for water sports) and warming lowland air in winter. This lovely climate, together with its beautiful Portuguese architecture, has always attracted artists and poets, but it continues to be a traditional fishing port at its heart to this day.

Marrakech, Maroc