Agadir

Presentation of the city

The city counts approximately 700.000 inhabitants (Gadiris in French, Gougadir/Oultougadir in tachelhit, Arabic Gadiri/Gadiria), and the agglomeration, with the close cities, Inezgane and Has Melloul, 850.000 inhabitants. According to the census of 2004, Agadir counted to this year 678.596 inhabitants. It is one of the principal urban centres of Morocco, fifth city of the country after Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Marrakech. The population density is rather strong. Three languages are practiced in the city: the Arab ; the Tachelhit (or Berber) by the Imazighen (Berber Chleuhs or Ichelhin); and the French.

Devastated by an earthquake in 1960, the city was entirely rebuilt. It is today one of the greatest seaside resorts of Morocco where the tourists come many, attracted by an exceptionally soft climate throughout the year.

Districts

The city is made up various districts:

Downtown area

Vast and dynamic, constituted of the boulevards Mohammed V and Hassan II, of the Valley of the Birds, the avenues of the Kettani General, Mohammed VI, Moulay Abdellah and Mokhtar Soussi as well as large avenue of the F.A.R (Royal Armed forces). In also part the Salam Place, the Place of the Hope and the Loubnane mosque form, as well as the Place of the Two Fountains which leads to the large open-air theater of the municipality.

The seaside

Animated and dynamic, the seaside of Agadir is consisted of the boulevard of August 20th, the Tawada avenue, the boulevard of the Cornice and the avenue of the wadi Under. The seaside and its tourist district count many restaurants, hotels and coffees modern. Several residential districts also skirt the beach. Projects of installation of the cornice are under development.

The sand beach end makes more than 10 km length.

New Talborjt

This district bears the name of the old district of Talborjt (the Small Tower in tachelhit). Very animated, New Talborjt, rebuilt far from Old Talborjt, has as an main artery the boulevard Mohammed Sheik Saâdi, which bears the name of the winner of the Portuguese in 1541. The other large avenues are the avenue of president Kennedy and of February 29th. One finds there also the mosque Mohammed V, the garden of Portugal and his museum memorial and the garden Ibn Zaydoun. Some good hotels and restaurants were arranged in the main arteries.

Residential districts

Many villas close to the avenue of the F.A.R (Royal Armed forces). Many Gadiris easy live this district. Several hectares of greenery surround these residential districts whose main arteries are the avenue Mokhtar Soussi, the avenue of Cairo and the United Nations. The principal districts are the Swiss City, which extend on several hectares and shelter the hospital Hassan II and the consulate of France, the Mixed Secteur district which shelters the consulate of Spain, the district Founti (SONABA) sheltering beautiful villas close to the beach and tourist district, and beyond the residential district Illigh. Beautiful sight on the beach to 2 km. A little in the east these districts, while going towards the airport, there is still the Dakhla city where were built villas taking as a starting point the art marocco-Andalusian and, close to faculty Ibnou Zohr, of the modern buildings out of glass.

Ports

Fishing port, commercial port and marina in the course of completion, equipped with a marina. The avenue of the Port, which is its main artery, is surrounded by factories of preserve and account some restaurants of sardines. The port, very modern, also attracts the tourists. Its fish market close to the avenue of the Port is famous.

The Kasbah, Agadir Oufella

The Kasbah, high in 1572, was, with Founti which extended to its foot in front of the sea, the old working of Agadir, authenticates fortress with the small sinuous and animated streets, emerged of XVIe century. Proud fortress, it remains today only one long wall restored with identical, after the earthquake; the interior is nothing any more but one ground inconstructible. But the sight remains exceptional on bay of Agadir. A small coffee built against the wall which attracted the walkers and the tourists is now unused (thus to envisage its water bottle when one goes up there to foot).

Old Talborjt

Dominating the sea front and the Tildi wadi, this old district formerly commercial and was animated. 90% of the buildings were destroyed there or seriously damaged by the earthquake. Shaved after the seism, now covered of vegetation, it is from now on him also inconstructible. The main artery is the long avenue El Moun being stretched on more than 2 km; the driving schools involve their pupils there.

Médina

Built in 1992, by the artist Polizzi Coconut, in Ben Sergao, small residential district of Agadir to 4,5 km of the downtown area, the médina is a kind of small traditional museum of outdoor on 5 hectares. It shelters workshops of craftsmen, a museum, individual residences, a small hotel and an exotic garden. The entry is paying.

The slaughter-house (Hay Hassani)

One of the most popular districts; it is known for its place of the taxis and the buses. It is a crossroads which joins together the heart of the city and its neighborhoods.

The Souk

It is the large market. It is surrounded by ramparts and has several entries. It is organized in various sectors: pieces of furniture, clothing, vegetables, butchery… One finds there alive chickens, killed and plucked in front of you. One can find all kind of traditional decorations there…

History

At the time medieval, Agadir was a borough of little notoriety, Agadir el-arba `, led to the sea of the big city of the Under, Taroudant. In 1505, the Portuguese, already installed on the Moroccan coasts, founded a counter and a fortress with the foot of the hill in front of the sea, Santa Cruz C Cabo de Aguer (Holy Cross of the course Ghir), with the site of the district now disappeared from Founti.

Quickly, the Portuguese were in hillock with the hostility of the tribes of the area. Since 1530, they were blocked in Santa Cruz. The Portuguese backward flow amorça when on March 12th, 1541 the Sherif Saâdien Mohammed ech-Sheik seized the fortress of Santa Cruz de Aguer. Six hundred Portuguese survivors were made prisoners, of which the governor Guterre de Monroy and his daughter Dona Mecia. The prisoners were repurchased by monks, come especially from Portugal. Gave Mecia, whose husband had been killed at the time of the battle, became the wife of Mohammed ech-Sheik and died in layer, in 1544. The same year, Mohammed ech-Sheik made release the governor Guterre de Monroy, whom it had taken in friendship.

The Portuguese positions acquired between 1505 and 1520 were regressing. Africa started to have less importance for Portugal which turned from now on to the Indies and Brazil. After 1550, the Portuguese held nothing any more in Morocco but Mazagan, today El Jadida, Tangier and Ceuta.

In 1572, the Kasbah was built at the top of the hill by Moulay Abdallah el-Ghalib, successor of Mohammed Ech-Sheik.

At the 17th century, under the reign of the Berber dynasty of Tazeroualt, Agadir became a port of certain importance, developing the exchanges with Europe

In 1746, the Dutchmen installed a counter with the foot of the kasbah under the authority of the sultan. Above the main door of the Kasbah, one can still see a Dutch inscription which signifie : " Fear God and honors your roi".

After one long period of prosperity under the reign saadien, Agadir declined starting from 1760, because of the preeminence granted by the Sultan Alaouite Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (Mohammed III of Morocco), who wanted to punish Under rebel, with the competitor port of Essaouira. This decline lasted one century and half. In 1789, a European traveller makes a short description of Agadir: " It is not now a deserted city, it does not have there any more but one small number of house which falls in ruines".

In 1911, the sending of a German drain-hole in its port caused the Takeover by force of Agadir (incidental free - German), occasion for France to establish its protectorate on Morocco. The city was not whereas a modest village.

In 1913, the city counted less than thousand inhabitants. After 1920, under French protectorate, a modern port was arranged and the city made first great strides.

Around 1930, Agadir was a big step of the Aéropostale where Saint-Exupéry and Mermoz made stopover.

In the years 1950, the city, very dynamic, with the development of fishing, the canning facilities, agriculture, of mining, also started to open with tourism.

The February 29th 1960, Agadir, which counted then more than 40.000 inhabitants, was devastated by a earthquake magnitude 5,7 on the scale of Richter, which made more 15 000 dead.

Agadir after 1960

The current city was rebuilt 2 km more in the south. It became a big city (678 596 inhabitants in 2004), a important port, the first port sardine boat in the world, and has a Plage celebrates stretching itself on more than 10 km. Its climate offers 300 days of sun per annum and makes it possible to bathe in all seasons; the winter is exceptionally soft there and the heat of the summer never choking (the fog of summer is not rare besides there).

First tourist pole (with Marrakech) and first fishing port of Morocco, the marketing activity is there also in full rise with the export of Agrume S and Légume S of the fertile valley of the Under. With its white buildings, its broad flowered boulevards, its modern hotels and its coffees of European style , Agadir is not any more one city typical of the traditional Morocco, but it is a modern, active and dynamic city.

The bay of Agadir lines up among most beautiful bays of the world (Club of most beautiful bays of the world).

It is served by the International airport of Al Massira.

Sites to be visited

municipal Museum Bert Flint on the boulevard Mohammed V
Valley of the Birds, pleasant zoo of the birds being stretched on the avenue of the Administrations, between the boulevards Hassan II and of August 20th.
Garden of Portugal and its museum memorial
Mosque Mohammed V, on the boulevard of the President Kennedy
Médina, artisanal space created by the Italian Beato Salvatore Polizzi by employing Berber techniques of traditional construction
Souk el Had (Sunday)
sight on the city and bay from Agadir Oufella (the Kasbah)

See too

the town of Taroudant to 80 km in the east, along Under.
Immouzzer of the Ida Or Tannane, to 55 km in the North-East by taking the road of Essaouira and while forking then on the line.
the town of Tiznit to 90 km in the south and Tafraout, 80 km after Tiznit, in its splendid site of pink granite rocks.
the Oued Massed, to approximately 70 km in the south.
the town of Essaouira to 175 km in North on the coast.

Twinnings

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