The tall ramparts of the El Jadida’s fortress may have been constructed for protection, but today, the walls look as if they were purpose-built to pose for your camera. The old port city isn’t high on most traveller’s lists, but with its picture-perfect fortress, we think it should be. Take a walk with us and discover the Portuguese fortress in El Jadida.
During Portugal’s Age of Discovery, explorers found the perfect location for a trading port on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. The Portuguese are known across the world for their well-built forts, and the one in El Jadida is no exception. They called it Mazagan (Mazagão) and remained there for over 250 years. The Portuguese built another in Essaouira, 300km south, but were not able to maintain control of it.
Inside the solid ramparts of El Jadida’s fortress are the remains of a European city called Cité Portugaise. Today it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the mid 18th century, Moroccan Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah retook this land. Because of its importance on trade routes though, European merchants moved back to live alongside the Moroccans. The merchants are said to have lived in the old Portuguese city while the Moroccans built their own town outside the walls. In the 1900s it was renamed El Brija El Jadida which translates to The New Fort, today the city is called El Jadida.
Ramparts
Our favourite activity in El Jadida was walking on the walkways atop the 10-metre-wide ramparts. The fortress is star-shaped, so there are sharp corners and odd angles, which makes it even more striking.
The star shape reminded us of the forts in Elvas, Portugal. You can read about the forts in our post A Journey Through Elvas and Évora’s Rich Herirage.
Five bastions once stood in the corners, but the Portuguese blew up one before they left. You can explore the four remaining ones where you’ll find a few old canons are still pointed toward the sea.
A canal runs between the fortress and the present-day fishing port. The water looked quite dirty, but we saw locals swimming in the murky water. A moat used to surround the entire fortress, but was filled in by the French in the 1900s.
The main gate that separates the old city from the more modern, busy one is not fancy. It looks like it was built for function rather than decoration, and it still provides the primary access to the walled city.
Cité Portugaise
Inside the walls, the old city is in need of TLC, but that detail actually gives it more character. Designed in a grid-like pattern, Cité Portugaise is an odd mix of European and Moroccan. We found carpet and ceramic shops, housed in the old European homes. As well, there are a few old churches that are now used as restaurants, hotels and a theatre.
As you wander the streets you’ll see many wonderful old gates and doors.
A Portuguese cistern sits in the middle of the city. Supposedly, it is beautiful inside. Pictures of it reminded us of the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Unfortunately, it is under renovation and is closed. It has been under repairs for four years, so it seems to be a slow process. The police have a station in the tower above.
The Great Mosque of Mazagan was built atop fortress ruins in the 19th century. The fortress sat empty until the mosque was built and local Muslims began moving in.
El Jadida Port
Beside the walls is the fishing port where wooden boats bob in the water after returning from their day out. We could only see it from a distance though since it is closed to visitors.
El Jadida Beach
Beside it is El Jadida Beach, also called Deauville Plage. There are nicer beaches south of here on the other side of Agadir. Even though it didn’t entice us to swim or sit on the sand, it did give us interesting wave formations during low tide.
The rest of the city is quite rundown and doesn’t hold much of interest for visitors. But we’re glad we were able to spend a couple of days in the old fortress. There aren’t many tourists in town, which is too bad because it is very photogenic.
Where to stay and eat in El Jadida
There are a few nice riads and restaurants in Cité Portugaise. It is not advisable to stay outside of the ramparts. Your taxi driver will likely leave you outside the main gates, but the old town is quite small so you shouldn’t have too far to walk no matter where you stay.
We enjoyed our meals in Art House Café Restaurant. Their menu is a mix of Moroccan and Western. It is also a riad, but it would probably be very noisy because the restaurant is quite busy.
How to get to El Jadida
Located only 100 km south of Casablanca, El Jadida is connected to the city by train and bus. As well you can get to/from Essaouira (270 km) and Marrakesh (200 km) by bus.
You can find El Jadida in the middle of the coast on the map below. Click on the image to be directed to an interactive map.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Morocco.
To read more of our adventures in Morocco, click here.
Coming Next – What To See In Casablanca
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