Morocco Travel Guide

ART &   CRAFT

ART &   CRAFT

ART &   CRAFT

ART &   CRAFT

FOOD    &   DRINK

JEWELLERY

ESSAOUIRA ART NAÏF

Wherever    you go  in  Essaouira,  you’ll  see artists at  work,   and their   paintings   for sale    in  almost  every   shop.   The local   artists

were    influenced  by  the influx  of  Westerners  in  the 1970s   and developed   their   own style   of  naive   paintings,  mostly  using

acrylics.   It’s    a   mixture of  naive   and modern  art,    often   influenced  by  the Gnawa   movement,   and the artists are self-taught.    The

paintings   are brightly    coloured    and often   feature musicians   or  groups  of  singers.

Latifa  Boumazzourh is  one such    painter.    Born    into    an  artistic    family, she was encouraged  to  paint   by  her late    husband,

himself an  artist. She first   exhibited   at  the Marrakech   Palais  de  Congres in  1996,   and has since   shown   in  Germany,

Switzerland and France. Latifa  is  president   of  the Association of  Women   Artists and Painters.   She shows   her work    at  the

Galerie Sadiqi  and at  Riad    al-Khansaa.

Latifa’s    work    mostly  depicts women   musicians.  Members of  her family  have    always  belonged    to  the Hamadcha    Sufi

brotherhood.    The paintings   show    women   in  trance  in  this    Sufi    tradition   (hadra) and prices  for her work    start   at  around  Dh2000.

Shopping

Riad al-Khansaa

Offline map Google map (60-62 Rue Touahen; ) The ground floor of this remarkable house is
packed with treasures from quirky clothing to beautiful lamps, paintings, sculptures and objets
d’art . If you can’t tear yourself away, there are rooms available upstairs (Dh400).

Woodcarving Workshops

Offline map Google  map Essaouira   is  well    known   for its woodwork    and you can visit   a   string  of

shops near the Skala de la Ville. The exquisite marquetry work on sale is made from local
fragrant thuya wood, which is now an endangered species. Although the products are beautiful
and sold at excellent prices, buying anything made from thuya threatens the last remaining
stands of trees by increasing demand and therefore encouraging illegal logging. For a guilt-free
conscience look for crafts made from other woods instead.

Coopérative Artisanal des Marqueteurs

Offline map Google  map (6  Rue Khalid  ibn Oualid) Come    here    for fixed-price shopping.

Rafia Craft

Offline map Google  map (82 Rue d’Agadir)   Essaouira’s other   great   product is  its raffia  work,   made

from the fibres of the doum palm. Much of its line is sold to European outlets.

Spice Souq

Offline map Google  map This    is  the place   to  go  for herbal  Viagra, Berber  lipstick,   cures   for

baldness and exotic spices. You can also buy argan-oil products here, as well as the traditional
amlou (about Dh40 per bottle).

Jewellery souq

Offline map Google map A small area of jewellery shops with everything from heavy Berber beads
to gaudy gold.