Three Hours in El Jadida, Morocco

In 2023, our company had a work seminar in Morocco. We had one free afternoon where I took a short trip with some colleagues to the town nearest our resort; El Jadida. This walled city was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and was known as Mazagan. Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, an anchorage used by boats appears to have existed at the current site of El Jadida throughout the Middle Ages and in ancient times. It was given up by the Portuguese in 1769 and incorporated into Morocco. El Jadida's old city sea walls are one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. The Portuguese Fortified City of Mazagan was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, on the basis of its status as an "outstanding example of the interchange of influences between European and Moroccan cultures" and as an "early example of the realisation of the Renaissance ideals integrated with Portuguese construction technology.”