Essaouira (ee-sow-wear-ah) is a popular tourist destination for Moroccans as well as many Europeans as it is much cooler here in the summer due to the ocean breezes. As we neared the city we stopped to photograph white goats standing on the branches of Aragon trees. These goats don’t eat the nuts, they are just for show but there are black goats that do eat the nuts. The remains of the hard shells that are not digested are gathered, dried, and cracked revealing seeds that are then ground to reap the oil that is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
At another stop we then witnessed the women cracking the shells and grinding the seeds. We also had an opportunity to purchase this miracle oil. Imagine that!
Essaouira is a large port city and tourist destination. We walked past the marina of fishing boats and into the well preserved and walled Medina where our hotel was located. It wasn’t much on the outside but our rooms had a fabulous window overlooking the ocean. We were lulled to sleep by the waves crashing to shore.
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| View from hotel room. |
This is an arts community as well as a movie set for such movies as the Gladiator and a popular place for movie stars to hang out. Something I found interesting is that the murex shell that produces a purple dye favored by early Roman emperors is found off shore from here.
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