Azemmour, Morocco

May 21, 2026

Azemmour is another fortified city on the Atlantic coast.  Like Asilah, the fortress was built by the Portuguese.

In the fifteen century, the Azemmour government paid an annual fee of ten thousand shad (river fish) for Portuguese protection against piracy and political instability. 

This arrangement went on for about 25 years until the local governor decided they would no longer pay.  This upset the Portuguese King,  Manuel I.  I guess he really missed getting all those fish from Africa.

So Manuel I sent an armada of 400 ships down to overrun Azemmour. There was a big battle which the Portuguese won, of course.

I guess back then the rule was if you break it, you own it.  So the Portuguese built this fortress and ran the city for another 25 years. 

My question to Manuel I is, ‘Wouldn’t it have been easier to just order take-out from Spain?’

Portugal and Morocco

Joking aside, In the thirteenth century, Portugal had successfully driven the Moors (of Nothern Africa) out of Portugal.  Then Portugal expanded its influence into Morocco. 

Portugal built many fortresses along the Atlantic coast, but not for purposes of colonizing or conquering Morocco.  These were maritime fortresses to support lucrative trade routes.  The evidence is clear on this.  Portugal did not build any fortresses in the interior of Morocco.

The maritime fortresses were used to warehouse goods and resupply the fleet of Portuguese Caravels that carried gold and grain from Africa, in competition with caravans of camels crossing the desert to Timbuktu.

More recently the relationship between Portugal and Morocco has been excellent. Rather than a source of modern tension, the remnants of the 1508–1541 Portuguese occupation serve as a peaceful cultural bridge, celebrated in bilateral cultural exchanges and academic historical research.

Apparently this diplomatic goodwill carries forth to the people of Morocco.  Maybe this explains the ébullent welcome that I get from the motorists and pedestrians when they see the Portuguese flag on the back of my bike.

Souks and Kasbahs.

In modern Morocco, it is easy to confuse these two terms.  A souk is a marketplace.  A kasbah is a fortress.  For the longest time, I thought they were synonyms, because in many cases the souk is in the kasbah.

However, in this Portuguese built kasbah, the alleyways are too narrow for a souk to operate.  At least that appears to be the case in both Azemmour and Asilha.

The Azemmour kasbah is a quiet place, a refuge for the local art and culture.  It is very different from the chaos of the souks of Marrakech.

All of this is nestled in a well preserved fortress overlooking the river.

Azemmour has some drawbacks.  There is a lot of litter in the street, for instance, but I am willing to look past this.  Inside the Kasbah, the place is well maintained.  There are excellent hotels at reasonable prices.  The people throughout the city are sincerely interested in your welfare.

A case in point.  I needed to recharge my Sim card with more data.  In Mexico, any pharmacy will reliably provide this service.  I went to a pharmacy in the Azemmour souk.  This place was not a shop with a front door.  It was more like a kiosk in the street.

I explained what I needed to the one employee there. The pharmacist could not provide the service, but he personally walked me to a place that could.  He stayed with me to explain what I needed to the new shop keeper.

The pharmacist was translating for me while the new shop keeper walked me through the options.  The pharmacist did this without asking to be compensated in any way.  Even though he had to leave his shop unattended to assist me.

This would never happen in Marrakech.