of no interest to visitors.
Safi’s natural harbour was known to the Phoenicians and the Romans, but in the 11th century
it was known as a port for the trans-Saharan trade between Marrakesh and Guinea, where
gold, slaves and ivory were sold. In the 14th century the town became an important religious
and cultural centre, when the Merenids built a ribat (fortified monastery) here. The Portuguese
took the city for a brief spell from 1508 until 1541, when the Saadians took it back. They built
the monumental Qasr al-Bahr fortress, a cathedral and generally expanded the town, but
destroyed most monuments upon their departure.
In the 16th century, Safi grew wealthy from the trade in copper and sugar, and European
merchants and agents flocked to the city, but when the port at Essaouira was rebuilt in the 18th
century and all external trade was diverted, Safi was largely forgotten.
Safi’s real revival came in the 20th century when its fishing fleet expanded and huge industrial
complexes were built to process the 30,000 tonnes of sardines caught annually. A major
phosphate-processing complex was established south of the town and the city began to expand
rapidly. Today, Safi is one of Morocco’s largest ports.