The first traces of civilisation go back to the 6th century BC when the Phoenician sailors used the Mogador Island as their stop on the way to sub-Saharan Africa. In those days the inhabitants were Berbers and the city was called Amogdul (the well looked after) certainly in memory of the saint Sidi Magdoul.

From the 2nd century BC the islands were under Roman occupation; and from the 3rd century BC the Berbers constituted a monarchy. Rome was then ruling over the city, Juba II developed the purpura industry thanks to the murex – a type of shellfish that lived on the islands and from which it was possible to obtain a purple dye – and from which the «purpura islands» took their name.
In the first century BC the Romans annexed the Berber Kingdom and attached it to Mauritania

After the fall of the Roman Empire and during the middle ages the Portuguese sailors took control of the city where they first constructed a military base and then a trading post. The city was renamed Mogdura, in Portuguese - Mogador in French.

From the 18th century onwards the Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah decided to construct a naval base in Essaouira that at the time assured 40% of the countries maritime trade.

The city development continued until the first half of the 19th century when the presence of a large Jewish community helped the city to prosper. The city was then nicknamed «the door of Timbuktu»because of all the caravans coming from Africa that traded gold, spices and slave cargo. The Jews left the city in the mid 20th century. Nowadays only a few Jewish families remain living here.

A certain decline began with the development of other ports like Casablanca, Agadir and Tangier. The bay’s low water became a handicap to the port’s development.

With the independence of Morocco in 1956 the city reverted to being called Essaouira. It experienced a new commercial boom in the 60s thanks to the strong presence of important hippy figure, such as Jimmy Hendrix and Cat Stevens.
More recently the city economy grew thanks to its privileged position, its water sports, the large number of tourists and its cultural vocation.

Through time Essaouira has always been a crossroad of cultures and civilisations, the city’s layout reflects its history.

Around 1760 the Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah decided to construct a royal port  in Essaouira. For its realisation he called in the French architect Theodore Cornut, who worked for 3 years towards the development of the port and the Kasbah.

He designed a city made of large and straight avenues, surrounded by ramparts and joined to the port by a large door – The Marine Door. It took the name of Essaouira («the well designed») because of its layout.

The Kasbah – the Royal area – assured the control and exploitation of the port as well as providing accommodation for the administrators, the investors and the consuls.

The city was thereby fortified by a row of ramparts:

*  In the north, half of the ramparts still exist nowadays and they run alongside Street Attarine.
* In the east, the ramparts are still intact and stretch from both sides of a monumental door.
* In the west a fortified promenade is surrounded by cannons – the Skala -   on which you can still find the remains of a Portuguese fort which was built in the 16th century.
* In the south the border is marked by the existing Moulay Hassan square.
Around 1780 the Arabs and the Berbers lived together in harmony in the surrounding city wall together with the Jews, a thousand Europeans of different backgrounds, foreign sailors and African slaves.

The construction of the current medina started in the 19th century and lasted until the 20th century. The three arcades that extend to the ramparts to the north as well as the clock, are from the same period of time. The city has always had large and straight avenues crossed by doors that protected the inhabitants from the strong winds.

Two major roads cross the centre of the existing medina: from Bab Doukkala to the port (North/South) and from Bab Marrakech to the ocean (East/West). At the junction of these roads we can find the souk jdid, which includes 4 markets: the fish, the spices and the corn souk and the joutia (the flea market).

At the beginning of the 20th century the «new Kasbah» was completed. It is traversed by Street Caire where Dar Souiri is located; this gave the Medina the shape that we all know today.  

In 2001 UNESCO listed Essaouira as a world heritage site thanks to its unique architecture.
Beyond the city limits, its history made up of alliances between people, and its cultural vocation gave the city its distinctive status.  Essaouira has always been a cosmopolitan city and it continues to be so nowadays.