In 1506, the king of Portugal, D. Manuel I, ordered the fortress to be built here, named Castelo Real de Mogador. Altogether, the Portuguese are documented to have seized six Moroccan towns and built six stand-alone fortresses on the Moroccan Atlantic.
The present city of Essaouira was built during the 18th century.
The cooler ocean air makes this the perfect place to wind down from the bustling, dusty inland cities.