Thursday's Child: Essaouira, Morocco

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Essaouira is a well-preserved fortified town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was an important international port, with goods being conveyed there from southern Africa to be shipped overseas.

Today Essaouira is a UNESCO-protected town with a thriving arts and crafts culture. Its souks (markets) are smaller and more accessible than those in Marrakech. While the Marrakech markets required a local guide with patience and a great sense of direction, we happily navigated the souks in Essaouira on our own.

The market is particularly known for its intricate cedar and thuya wood carvings. But tiny shops throughout the medina brimmed with brightly coloured textiles, fragrant spices, fresh fish and beautiful leather goods.

Despite the allure of the shops, some vendors chose to go it on their own.



19 comments:

Monet said...

Gorgeous Beth. I know I would have a hard time choosing what treasures to bring back home!

Anonymous said...

such a colorful trip to the market...those goods are seriously beautiful :-)

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

How could you choose just one pair, their colours are gorgeous :D
What a great place to visit!

Cheers
CCU

P.S Unfortunately, I have lost around 1000 subscribers on my blog, and I have no idea how, so if you were subscribed, would you be able to resubscribe? Thank you!

Daniela Grimburg said...

Beautiful pictures and very interesting information about Essaouira.
I've never heard about this place before as it is less well known than Marrakesh but looks amazing.
Thanks for a gorgeous virtual trip, Beth!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Wow! This looks like a fascinating place to visit.

Jemi Fraser said...

What beautiful colours and combinations! Truly stunning! :)

CQUEK said...

These would appeal to me , wonderful place to visit.

amy (fearless homemaker) said...

Wow, what beautiful colors! It looks like an amazing place to visit. =)

Jessica Lawson said...

Gorgeous~ the smaller market appeals to me (and what beautiful shoes!).

Julia said...

Beautiful photos and gorgeous crafts! Morocco has so much culture and history about it! Love the shoes on the first photo, and the rugs and the wooden crafts!

Vicki Bensinger said...

I've never been to Morocco but would love to go. Your photos are beautiful. I'll have to add this to my list. Maybe I can convince my hubby to go.

Gloria Baker said...

Morocco sounds and look amazing ! I love the pictures!!

Unknown said...

Morocco is on my place I want to see list-don't know when but hopefully one day...thanks for sharing your beautiful photos ;)

Belinda said...

This is so high on my must-visit list.

Barbara said...

Such beautiful fabrics and colors, Beth. I love the photo of the shoes. I've been once...would love to go again.

Angie's Recipes said...

It sounds like a fascinating country! Thanks for sharing, Beth.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Great photos! I've been to many places in Morocco, but never visited Essaouira. My loss - it's supposed to be wonderful. Gives me a good reason to go back someday!

Inger @ Art of Natural Living said...

What gorgeous color in the market!

Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl said...

So many great colors in this post - beautiful!

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