- Essaouira is an ancient coastal city in Morocco, which is was known as Mogador until the 1960’s. The Walls of Essaouira are a Unesco World Heritage Site and date from the 18th century CE.
- Mogador was located in the Province of Mauretania Tingitana.
History
- Its Phoenician name was Arambys, and it was founded by Hanno the Navigator in c. 500 BCE.
- The Phoenicians considered it to be one of the best harbours along the Moroccon coast.
- In 10 CE, during the reign of Augustus, a Roman Expedition set off from Mogador, and explored the Canary Islands, Madeira and possibly the Cape Verde Islands.
- Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) wrote that they found no people only dogs. ‘Canarius’ is dog in Latin, and so he called them the ‘Insulae Canarius’.
- Mogador had a Murex factory, which was located on the island of Mogador, opposite the city. This expensive purple dye was used to colour the Emperor’s Toga.
Museums
- Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum
- Located at Rue Laalouj, Essaouira.
- The museum holds a collection of ancient pottery, coins and jewellery found during excavations in Essaouira.
Essaouira