Historical overview by M.OQBA

Its children it have always called "Essaouira" and Europeans "Mogador". That imports that it is one or the other, the city is the even: that that has been so dear by its founder Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah. It is not as the other cities of the Kingdom. Its manner to be been, by the divine will, graceful all. It is a healthy city that a, as for the public health, nothing to fear itself. Many medical studies have praised kindnesses for the health of its climate. Natural elements: the water, the wind, the heat of the sun there are accomplices. They give to the city, leaves its site, an average temperature without great amplitude, winds that take in the distance germs that the fiery sun has not been able to destroy, high tides that envelop the city of all sides and whose ebb brings a regular purification.

The construction of the city began in the year 1760 to finish in 1765, according to the elaborate plan by a French architect: Théodore Nicolas Cornut. According to the article devoted to its memory by Fernand Benoit, it originated from Avignon or its region, told it Venaissin: the Pontifical state enclosed in the kingdom of France.

It had been employed by Louis XV to the erection of fortifications in the region of the Roussillon. It has perhaps worked as architect -urbanist to Balearic islands, and in any case to Gibraltar where, it was found when the Sultan Sidi Mohamed has made call in its services.

The plan Cornut for the construction of Essaouira, is found in Paris, to the national library. Cornut has drawn it, or reproduces, 25 October 1767 to Sète, after having definitively left Essaouira where it would have worked during three years.

After the construction, the Sultan confided the city to competent soldiers and to merchants whose ten Jews appointed by special Dahir, so as to represent the trade of the Makhzen with the foreigner. They made stump, joints by emigrants of the Souss, Haha of the Gharb etc... Attracted by appropriateness's of work of the new port.

Merchants of the ++Makhzen were to the number of thirteen whose as previously signaled, ten Jews and three Moslems:

- Belkacem Chidmi - Lahcen Hajji Dit Soussi - Hadj Ali Ben Hadj (Essaouira Moslems)

- Pennyer - Bromm ( English Jews)

- Pinhas - Tolledeno - Af Alou Men Ahim - Bouqnine Meyer - le Rabin Joseph Maleh - El Baz Elias - Serraf Isaac - Ben Serour Merdakhai (Essaouira Jews)

Later others Jews and Moslems were equally appointed to title of merchants of the Makhzen.

Sumba, Chriqui, Corcos, De la mar, Pena, Levy Yuli, Levy Bensoussane, Am Ahori, Aboudarham, these new merchants originated from Safi, Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat and Tetouan. This were pioneers, the first generations of residents of the new city: builders, men of action or trade.

According to the intention of the founder Sultan, the city became rapidly a gigantic commercial warehouse, military garrison place and foreign consulate seat. And while U.S. of America crossed one of the economic crises the most catastrophic of its history, Essaouira took the appearance of an Eldorado, where great fortunes accumulated and - this, well before the protectorate.

For its supply in drinking water and for the used water evacuation, the city, by favors of Sultans, had very early an aqueduct of feeding in drinking water and a system of sewers. By these works, the city of Essaouira was in advance of more of a century on the other cities of the Kingdom of Morocco and even of Arabic countries.

The seguia told "Saguiate Me Zoudi" replaced the mules and donkey stream that brought the water to the city since the oued Ksab. This seguia, the name of the clever maâlem marrakchi chosen by the Sultan Moulay Abderrahmane, was only partly underground. But the care that one had taken to make a seguia open, allowed it to cross truck-farmer gardens of the quarter Hammou and Bab Doukkala, or to pass the cemetery, while delivering to the city its good water.

This seguia had been constructed on that creates to the period of the Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah by an Essaouira engineer appointed: Hadj Mohamed Souiri that, for its share, had made relive remain them the ancient seguia Portuguese, Portuguese vestige rest and that arrived until Bâb Marrakech.

Its port that dated 1765, year of the construction of the city, was long the last port to the south and the main shopping mall of Morocco, whose it insured until 40% of the maritime trade. Boats brought sugar, candles and cotonnades. Caravans of 500 to 600 camels came from loaded Tombouctou of ivory, gold or slave powder. The rear country provided its agricultural resources. It is perhaps to these encounters that Essaouira has its charm. Officials of the Makhzen, commercial Europeans, rural, Berbers and highlanders of the rear country, horsemen of the desert and slaves of Africa black, commercial bonds of the Jewish world, tie mellah to mellah, whole seems to have left there some mark, some reflections, to compose the current Essaouira, drowsy to the edge of the beach, in its eternal spring.

1919 1920 1920

The boom of ports of Casablanca, Safi, the railroad way absence, finished by bankrupting the trade. Essaouira henceforth, is not more than a small port of peach having known nevertheless to preserve its picturesque.

Until to 1912 it there had no enterprise great works and wet ships in roadstead manipulated their freight in boats and fishing smacks, that were brought to the oar up to in the trapezoidal dock whose construction is attributed to Portuguese. There, they were loaded to back of men.

The Jewish element had incontestably contributed to give to this city a great reputation in the Kingdom and in the world. They had monopolized all trades it. The export and import were in major part between their hands. They were the real brokers of the Souss. Commercial transactions were completely stopped during "ritual" Jews feasts. Caravans arriving a bit everywhere did not penetrate in city Saturday. When one thinks that on a population of ten eight thousand residents , almost more of half between them was Jewish origin, one can better understand why they had a such impact on the totality of the economy of the city. Indeed, they controlled great number trades. One could equally notice in their ranks of jewelers that had the monopoly of the precious metal trade:

Joseph Castiel - Isâac Levy - Nessim Reboh - Joseph Bitton - Makhlouf Ifargane - Baba Levy - Joseph El Ghrabli - Isâac Dabda - Sabbag Simtob - Judas Harroch - Mardoché Kidouchim - Braham Rebiboh - David Levy - Joseph Marratch - Elias Abenhaim - Nessim Loeub (archives of the CCI of Essaouira)

Before to close this chapter, I would like well to tell you that when one has lived in this city, one returns there always. One never forgets it. One vows it a faithful attachment. Be taken this its seal who is does taken, both intimate and grand ? Be made this its climate whose exceptional does makes the charm of its summers as its winters ? Is this the stately and medieval beauty of its battlements, the alignment of its old canons of bronze, the pure line of its bastions ? Is this its provincial calm, its appearance a bit antiquated, an obsolete bit ? Be read this finally the infinite variety of its landscapes where does read tour to tour it Africa and France, through its forests, its mountains, its sunset and its disproportionate beaches ? Is not this rather all that totality ?... And why, among every reason who make like Essaouira, to have in to choose only one ?

Mohamed OQBA Tel: 0 24 47 24 05