# El Jadida and Oualidia On the Atlantic south of Casablanca, El Jadida keeps the Portuguese city of Mazagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004; 78 km further south, Oualidia lives from its lagoon, its oysters and its birds. For a slow stay by the water, two to four days, or a stop on the coast road to Safi and Essaouira. Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/morocco/el-jadida-and-oualidia/ ## Mazagan, a Renaissance fortress El Jadida is a modern town that has kept a well-preserved Portuguese fortress at its centre. The Portuguese founded Mazagan in 1513 as a fortified colony on the sea route to India, and held it until 1769, when the Moroccans took it back. UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) sees it as an early example of Renaissance military architecture, and as a record of exchange between European and Moroccan cultures, in architecture, technology and town planning. What you visit: - **The ramparts and bastions**, which make the city a Renaissance stronghold. - **The Portuguese cistern**, an underground hall of vaulted arches where Orson Welles shot scenes of his *Othello*. It is the city's best-known sight. - **The Church of the Assumption**, built in the Manueline style, the Portuguese form of late Gothic. When they left in 1769, the Portuguese blew up several churches and buildings; the Moroccans who settled after them mostly lived outside the walls. The city is seen in half a day, on foot. To stay inside it, the Riad Soleil d'Orient, seven rooms around a patio, is five minutes' walk from the cistern and ten from the beach. ## Oualidia, the lagoon and its oysters Oualidia is a fishing village on the edge of a lagoon, separated from the ocean by a ridge of dunes. The name comes from the Saadian sultan El Oualid, who had a kasbah built here in the seventeenth century to guard the anchorage, as a counterweight to Mazagan, then Portuguese; its ruins stand above the lagoon. By the water, a royal villa was built for Mohammed V, who celebrated his birthdays here; it now stands empty. **The oysters.** They have been farmed in the lagoon since the 1950s. Seven oyster farms work here, with the cupped oyster known as the Japanese oyster, and more than half the production goes to Casablanca. Before sale, the oysters spend two days in purification tanks at one of three approved stations; selling them without this step is prohibited. You eat them by the lagoon, at the farms or in restaurants. They keep at 4 to 10 °C for eight to ten days. La Sultana Oualidia, a twelve-room hotel on the water, has its own oyster bar. **Swimming.** The sheltered lagoon lets you swim away from the ocean rollers; the beach on the sea side suits surfing and windsurfing. **Birds.** The Sidi Moussa and Oualidia lagoons, together with four marshes and salt pans, form the Sidi Moussa-Walidia complex, listed on 15 January 2005 as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The site hosts many migratory waterbirds; flamingos are among the species that winter here. The coast between Sidi Moussa, 36 km south of El Jadida, and Cape Beddouza, 34 km south of Oualidia, is rich in birds, and the two lagoons and the rocky headland of the cape are the best viewing points; Sabaro suggests walking there early in the morning, with binoculars. **The season.** The village is quiet for most of the year. In August, Moroccan holidaymakers fill it: book early, or come in June, September or October. ## Azemmour and the horse festivals **Azemmour**, halfway between Casablanca and El Jadida, is a small Portuguese-influenced medina on the Oum Er-Rbia river, with its kasbah, its mellah (former Jewish quarter) and its artists' studios. Sabaro suggests stopping there on the way from Casablanca. **The moussem of Moulay Abdallah Amghar**, in the village of Moulay Abdallah next to El Jadida, brings together every summer tbourida troupes (horsemen who charge and fire a single volley of powder together) from across the kingdom, falconry displays, religious readings and concerts. In 2026 it ran from 7 to 14 August. **The El Jadida Horse Show** takes place in October at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Park. ## Getting organised - **Access.** El Jadida is about 106 km from Casablanca, 1 h 25 by road; Mohammed V airport is the nearest. Oualidia is 78 km south of El Jadida; Safi is 150.3 km from El Jadida. - **How many days.** From Casablanca, one day is enough for the Portuguese city and Azemmour. For Oualidia, Sabaro recommends at least two nights: one day for the lagoon and the oysters, another for the birds, the beach or golf. - **Golf.** El Jadida has recent golf courses, including the one at the Mazagan Beach Resort, a complex created by the Kerzner International group. - **Along the coast road.** Casablanca, El Jadida, Oualidia, Safi and then Essaouira makes an easy week by the Atlantic. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in El Jadida's Portuguese city? The ramparts and bastions, the Portuguese cistern, an underground vaulted hall, and the Manueline Church of the Assumption. Allow half a day on foot. ### Can I swim in Oualidia? Yes. The lagoon is sheltered from the swell and allows swimming in calm water. On the ocean side, the beach suits surfing and windsurfing. ### Are Oualidia oysters safe? They spend two days in purification tanks at an approved station before sale, a compulsory step. Buy them from the farms or in restaurants. ### When can I see flamingos? In winter, the season of migratory birds, on the Oualidia and Sidi Moussa lagoons, listed as a wetland of international importance.