Street Art Essaouira

Contemporary public-space artworks in Essaouira. Territorial graffiti.

Christian Guémy C215

Frina

Massira Khadra

R.I.P Aldo Berti

Italian actor Aldo Berti died shortly after midnight in Florence, Italy
from brain cancer on December 26, 2010.
He was 74. Aldo was born on February 29, 1936 in Florence.
Aldo appeared in over 40 films from 1956's “Time of Vacation” with Vittorio De Sica
until 1972's “Return of the Holy Ghost”.

In 1968, the blockbuster western Once Upon a Time in the West, directed by Sergio Leone, came out in theaters around the world. The cast of the film included Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, and… Aldo Berti.

Aldo Berti was an icon of Essaouira (Morocco).

He was the friend you expected to find when walking on the beach or around Essaouira.

His best friend, the black dog “Negro” was old too. They walked in the same way. The first time I met Aldo some 15 years ago, it was at the river mouth of Oued Ksob and I saw the young Negro was fishing and then Aldo resting in the morning sun at the ruins of the old bridge at Diabet. We liked the same places – the beach, the dunes, the river and the forest, enyoing solitude and natural beauty. He was my first European friend here.

He lived in the medina at Chabanat and on the terace of his house – he had a view all over the town. We had black coffea and played chess in the afternoons and looked at pictures from his life. He learned to use PC for writing poetry and with internet he found old friends in the world. He loved to tell stories about his childhood, about the village where he was born and his film career.

Aldo had an uncompromising character – he knew what he wanted and lived a simple natural life here with a lot of artisitc creativity – his poetry but he was also a painter. Oil paintings he sold time to time when needed.

Some pictures from 2007 in the country side house at Sidi Kaouki

He was happy here.

Aldo leaves a great void in the town of Essaouira and certainly in the hearts of his friends.

More info about Aldo Berti and his films.

http://www.thewildeye.co.uk/blog/?p=2331

http://westernboothill.blogspot.com/2010/12/rip-aldo-berti.html

The Landmark - "Qalb"

The Landmark is situated on the highest point on the small forested mountain 2 km south of the town. It can be seen at the southern horisont as a pillar just above the trees.
It is rather easy to reach by walking in it´s direction from Diabat or from Essaouira. Up hills trough the forest and sandhills you always find paths to follow.
Standing there you have a view in all directions.
To the west and north you see the village Diabat, the Island of Mogador , the Atlantic ocean and the Medina of Essaouira. To the south you see Ghazoua and the new town of Essaouira and the river Oued Ksob. East you see the road to Marrakech and Doar Laarb where you see the seaboard road to Safi.

The monument is built in stone and mortar and is in a good condition.
About 10 meters high.
It is a geodesic point of order 1, drawn in 1928 by the Geographical Service of the French Army (IGN France) for the realization of the first network of triangulation of southern Morocco,
to the establishment of the regular mapping Moroccan cadastre and land registration.
There was Lt. Aubry who was responsible for observations and the creation of this point.

You can see graffiti all over it, even at the top,
so high that the writer must have used his friends as a ladder to reach.
Read the inscriptions from 1934, 38, 1948,1953 ...

Dar Sultan

On the south side of the river Oued Ksob near Diabet there are riuns of a fort "Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah". It is called "Dar Sultane" or "The White House"

Bordj el Baroud

The ruins located south of the mouth of Oued Ksob is known as "Bordj el Baroud " or "Borj el Baroud".
Late 18th century construction of defensive fortresses included Borj el Bermil at the entry of the port, Borj el Assa at the island of Mogador ( Ile Purpuraires ) and Borj el Baroud south at the Oued Ksob.
Borj el Baroud was an isolated fortress which served as a store for gunpowder probably situated somewhere between Bab Marrakech and Sidi Mogdoul. There are no traces left of it today caused by the new settlements and the construction of Boulevard Mohammed V.

The Phoenician explanation:

"I suggest this structure may have been an integral part of the Ile Purpuraires Phoenician settlement for the following reasons:
(i) The position of Bordj El Berod is directly opposite the Phoenician fort at the southeast tip of Ile Purpuraires, permitting a pincer effect upon naval monitoring into the harbour via the southern approach; (Google, 2007)
(ii) The bordj El Berod follows the classic form of Phoenician coastal construction using an immense natural rock as the foundation;
(iii) The stonework follows Phoenician practises of mixing different stone types within the same structure. In particular most of the stonework utilises a native red stone hewn into large rectilinear blocks, but a prominent horizontal course is evident which uses a lighter gray colour hewn in smaller blocks and faced in a cylindrical fashion.
(iv) The condition of the ruined Bordj is remarkable, given its exposure to surf and salty mist. The condition of mortar exposed to these elements is more suggestive of Phoenician engineering, whose talents regularly attacked severe coastal conditions, whereas later Moorish mortar was not as durable to these extreme marine conditions and indeed was not called upon for many such assignments.
(v) The location of Bordj El Berod is remarkably consistent with a fort suitable for monitoring the trading practises that Heroditus depicts in describing the Phoenicians laying out their wares on a broad beach for local tribes to purchase;
(vi) The destruction of the Bordj El Berod was most likely associated with the 18th century major earthquake in western Morocco, making it unlikely that any significant part of the Bordj was associated with the mainstream Moorish construction of Essaouira that occurred in the late 18th century and beyond; and
(vii) The existence of such a grand mainland watchtower would clearly justify naming the site after the Phoenician word ‘'migdol'‘ or watchtower..
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17926

Eid al-Adha II

Jimi Hendix

People in Essaouira love to tell stories about Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) and other famous people who has been here and they love to tell you that he slept in their house. Most of it is not true. There are legends and myths about him here.
What is fake about Jimi Hendrix in Essaouira you can read on Maroccofake.
What is true is that:
Jimi Hendrix made a short visit to Morocco during the summer of 1969. He came by a regulary flight from Paris to Casablanca.
He enjoyed a romance with Colette Mimram while here.
He visited Morocco just once an he loved Morocco!