Photos

Picture taken in Essaouira, Morocco in the ancient medina.

The Medina of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city, and an example of a late 18th century fortified town in North Africa. Labyrynthine streets and alleyways are part of the charm of the inner city as well.

Tourism is of growing importance, supporting boutique hotels established in traditional Moroccan riads, within the old town's ramparts. The medina is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and 'thuya' wood-carving (using roots of the Tetraclinis tree), both of which have been practised in Essaouira for centuries.

Local inhabitants are progressively pushed out of the medina by growing tourism (hostels and second homes), but traditional life still subsists in some hidden alleyways...