ESSAOUIRA

formerly Mogador, Atlantic port city, western Morocco, midway between Safi and Agadir. The site was occupied by Phoenicians and then Carthaginians and was mentioned in the chronicles of the Carthaginian explorer Hanno (5th century BC). Medieval charts show it as Mogador, a corruption of a Berber word for safe anchorage. It stands on a peninsula 1020 feet (37 m) above sea level and at times with heavy tides is almost an island. Its harbour is sheltered by offshore islets and a rocky headland, but the channel is narrow and dangerous. Founded by Sultan Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah in 1765 as a rival port to Agadir, it was planned by a French captive, Thodore Cornut, and fortified in the style of the French military engineer Sbastien Le Prestre de Vauban. A colony of Moroccan Jews was installed to extend commerce. On the land side stretch miles of sand dunes studded with broom, and beyond are forests of argan (Morocco ironwood) unique to the country. A temperate climate and fine beaches have made it a bathing resort. Essaouira is known for its artisan industries, notably inlaid cabinetwork. It is connected by road with Safi, Marrakech, and Agadir. Pop. (1982) 42,035.