Agadir

                                                     Agadir

Agadir (Berber: Agadir, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ; Moroccan Arabic: اگادير‎) is a major city in southwest Morocco, the capital of Agadir-Ida Ou Tanane province (MA-AGD) and of the Souss-Massa-Drâa economic region some 508 km to the south of Casablanca, 173 km from Essaouira and 235 km to the west of Marrakech^[1] A majority of its inhabitants speak Berber as their mother tongue.
The city is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River flows into the ocean.

Introduction

The city of Agadir together with the neighbouring cities of Inezgane and Ait Melloul was estimated in 2013 to have 609,088 inhabitants
According to the 2004 census, there were 346,106 inhabitants in that year and the population of the Prefecture of Agadir-Ida Outanane was 487,954 inhabitants
Agadir is one of the major urban centres of Morocco, the seventh largest conurbation of the country after Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, Marrakech, Meknes, and Tangier. The population density is quite high. Three languages are spoken in the city: Arabic (mainly Darija, which is the Moroccan Arabic dialect); Ta-Chelh-it (or Shilha Berber) by the Berbers (who are also known as I-Mazigh-en Berbers or Ch'leuhs: I-Celḥiy-en); and French. The mayor is Tariq Kabbaj.
Destroyed by earthquake in 1960, the city has been completely rebuilt with mandatory seismic standards. It is now the largest seaside resort in Morocco, where foreign tourists and many residents are attracted by an unusually mild year-round climate. Since 2010, it has been well served by low cost flights and a Motorway from Tangiers, the city attracts all walks of life and has had an annual growth rate of over 6% per year in housing demand while housing production barely exceeds 3.4%
The mild winter climate (January average midday temperature 20.5°C/69°F) and good beaches have made it a major "winter sun" destination for Northern Europeans.

Etymology

The word Agadir means in Berber "wall enclosing a fortress or town".
Agadir's name is Gadiris in French, and pronounced Gougadir or Oultougadir in Berber language (Tachelhit), and Gadiri or Gadiria in Arabic (pronunciations are approximate - see original Tachelhit and Arabic for accuracy).


The name of Agadir comes from the GDR Berber root meaning slope, steep slope, or escarpment

Districts of Agadir

Fog in Agadir

The current conurbation of Agadir is actually a combination of four communes:

• the former town of Agadir city
• the urban commune of Anza
• the rural town of Ben Sergao and
• the rural town of Tikiwine

The city centre

Large and dynamic, it includes the boulevards Mohammed V and Hassan II, the Valley of Birds, the avenues General Kettani, Mohammed VI, Moulay Abdellah, and Mokhtar Soussi as well as the main avenue of the FAR ( Royal Armed Forces of Morocco). The city centre also includes the Place Salam, Place de l'Esperance, the Loubnane Mosque, and the Square with two fountains that leads to the greenbelt of the municipality. With the combination of several communes, the city centre is process to gradually move towards the Haut Founty district where the new administraton have built a new building for the Court of Appeal.

The seaside

Lively and dynamic, the tourist area at the seaside consists of the boulevard of 20 August, Tawada Avenue, the Corniche, Avenue of Oued Souss, and the Founty district: Baie des Palmiers. It has many hotels, restaurants, trendy cafes, and residential villas.
A large beautification project for the city is in course of being completed. Agadir is well equipped with a beautiful waterfront promenade about 5 km long.
A recent marina with many luxury shops was built at the foot of the Casbah and at the beginning of the Oued Tildi.

New Talborjt

This area is known as the old district of Talborjt (meaning "small fort" in tachelhit, in remembrance of the water tower which was first built on the plateau in the former Talborjt). Lively, the New Talborjt which has been rebuilt away from the Old Talborjt, has as a main artery the Boulevard Mohammed Sheikh Saadi, who was the victor against the Portuguese in 1541. Other major avenues are the Avenue President Kennedy and the Avenue February 29. There is also the Mohammed V mosque, the Olhão garden (Olhão is a coastal city located in the south of Portugal, which is paired with Agadir) and its memorial museum and the garden Ibn Zaydoun. Some good hotels and restaurants have been built on the main arteries.

Residential districts

• Swiss Village: the oldest district of villas bordered by the Avenue of FAR (Royal Armed Forces), Avenue Mokhtar Soussi, Cairo Avenue, and the Avenue of the United Nations.
• Mixed Sector District: the French and Spanish Consulates are in this district.
• Founty or "Bay of palm trees": a seaside area with residential villas, large hotels, holiday homes, and the royal palace.
• High Founty: a new district of buildings and residential villas, located in the new city centre between the new Court of Appeal and the Marjane supermarket.
• Illigh: to the east in front of the Hassan II hospital, is a residential area of large villas, housing the "new bourgeoisie".
• Charaf: The Hassan II hospital is in this district.
• Les Amicales: also known as the "city of bureaucrats".
• Dakhla: close to the faculty of Ibnou Zohr, it has a great mix between modern buildings, ordinary villas, and studio apartments.
• Hay Mohammadi: a new urbanization zone in Agadir with a villa zone and a zone for large groups of buildings to frame the extension of the Avenue des FAR in the northwest.
• Adrar City: a new district next to the Metro hypermarket.
• Other neighborhoods: Lakhyam, Massira, Alhouda, Tilila, Tassila, Ben Sergao, Riad Assalam, Islane, Ihchach (Yachech) Nahda, Anza, and Taddart.

Ports

The Fishing Port seen from the Casbah

Over the decades, Agadir has had several ports: two fishing ports, a major trading port, and the recent port for leisure boats with its marina.
The Avenue du Port, the main artery of the Anza district, is surrounded by canneries and has many popular small restaurants adjacent to the fish market.
The fishing port is one of the premier major sardine ports in the world. The commercial port is also known for its exports of cobalt, manganese, zinc, and citrus products.

The Casbah or Agadir Oufella

Hill of the old Casbah

The Casbah at Night

The Casbah (Agadir Oufella, Agadir le haut, Agadir N'Ighir, or Agadir de la colline) was, along with Founti by the sea, the oldest district of Agadir. An authentic fortress with winding streets and lively, the Casbah was built in 1572 by Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib. Above the front door; today, the original inscription in Arabic and in Dutch reads: "Fear God and honour the King."
Of this fortress there remains, after the earthquake of 29 February 1960, a restored long high wall that surrounds land that is not buildable. The view, however, is exceptional over the bay of Agadir and the ports. The old people of Agadir remember the famous "Moorish café" of the Casbah and its panoramic view.
The hill bears the inscription in Arabic: "God, Country, King" which, like the walls, is illuminated at night.

Old Talborjt

Overlooking the waterfront and Wadi Tildi, this old district (whose name is sometimes spelled Talbordjt) was once a shopping area and very lively with its large square where there was a weekly market, hotels, schools, mosque^[8] 90% of the buildings in Old Talborjt were destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquake in 1960. Razed to the ground after the earthquake and now overgrown, it is classified as non-buildable area. Its main thoroughfare, the Avenue El Moun stretches over 2 km and serves only for driving schools who teach their students to drive.

The Abattoir (Industrial area)

Spices

One of the most popular neighbourhoods, it is known for its Square for taxis and buses. It is a junction that unites the heart of the city and its surroundings. This district was the least affected by the earthquake of 1960.

Souk El Had

This is the largest market in the region. It has about 6,000 small shops. It is surrounded by walls and has several entrances. It is organized into different sectors: furniture, crafts, clothing, vegetables, meat, spices etc. It is possible to find little marvels, including all kinds of handicrafts and traditional decorations. There are also objects of poor quality "made in China", imitation traditional slippers in plastic at ridiculous prices, and counterfeit articles.
The walls have been restored and the interior design is being finished.

La Médina

La Médina

La Médina is a handicrafts space created in 1992 by the Italian artist Coco Polizzi, at Ben Sergao, a district close to Agadir 4.5 km from the city centre. Built using techniques of traditional Berber construction, it is a kind of small open-air museum, on five hectares and home to artisan workshops, a museum, individual residences, a small hotel, and an exotic garden.

Climate

Sunset in Agadir

Agadir features a subtropical-semiarid climate (Köppen: BSh ) with warm summers and mild winters. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, Agadir has a very temperate climate. The daytime temperature generally stays in the 20s °C (70s °F) every day, with the winter highs typically reaching 20.4°C (70°F) in December–January (see weather-table below). The annual temperatures are very similar to Nairobi, Kenya, but with much less rainfall -about 10 inches annually- and the mid-year nights are less chilly than the Kenyan Capital.
Occasionally however, the region experiences winds from the Sahara called Chergui, which may exceptionally and for a few days (2-5) raise the heat above 40°C.
The lowest temperature recorded in Agadir was -2.6°C and the highest maximum recorded was 49.1°C at Agadir airport on 30 July 2009
In 1950, a poster from the Navigation Company Pacquet proclaimed: "Winter or summer, I bathe in Agadir"

Economy

Agadir fishing port

Agadir's economy relies mainly on tourism and fisheries. Agricultural activities are based around the city.^[25]
Agadir has one of the biggest Souks in Morocco (Souk Lhed)
The city has a cement company called Ciments du Maroc (CIMAR), a subsidiary of the Italian group Italcementi^[26] which is in process of being transferred to a new plant 40 kilometres from the city. There is also a shipyard in the port and the only Merchant Marine school in Morocco.

Transportation

Agadir is served by Al Massira Airport, located 22 kilometres from the city. With the opening of the new Casablanca–Agadir expressway in June 2010, which runs from Casablanca via Marrakech to Agadir, access to the region is much improved.
For freight there is also a port, and for pleasure-craft there is a marina in Agadir.

Culture

The Timitar festival, a festival of Amazigh and music from around the world, has been held in Agadir every summer since its inception in July 2004.
The Morocco Movement association is involved in the arts and organizes concerts, exhibitions and meetings in the visual arts, design, music, graphic design, photography, environment and health^[27]
Other cultural events in Agadir are:

• Noiz Makerz concert of urban music.
• Breaking South National championship inBreak-dancing
• International Documentary Film Festival in November (FIDADOC)
• Film Festival for immigration
• International Festival of University Theatre of Agadir
• Concert for Tolerance (November)
• Festival of Laughter

Museums

Mosque Loubnan in Agadir

• Musée de Talborjt "La Casbah"
• Musée Bert Flint
• Le Musée des Arts Berberes
• Musee Municipal de Agadir
• La Medina d'Agadir

Education

The city of Agadir has a university: the University Ibn Zuhr which includes a Faculty of Science, Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and the multi-disciplined Faculty of Ouarzazate.
There are also establishments of higher education such as:

• the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA)
• the National School of Business and Management (ENCG)
• the Graduate School of Agadir technology (ESTA).

There is an international French school: the French School of Agadir and also public schools: Youssef Ben Tachfine School, Mohammed Reda-Slaoui School, and the Al-Idrissi Technical College.
There is a range of highschools:

• Groupe Scolaire Paul Gauguin Agadir
• Groupe Scolaire LE DEFI
• Lycée Lala Meryem Agadir
• Lycée Qualifiant Youssef Ben Tachfine
• Lycée Technique Al Idrissi
• Lycée Al Qalam
• Lycée Al Hanane
• Lycée Français d'Agadir
• Lycée Anoual
• Lycée Zerktouni
• Lycée Mohamed Derfoufi

Sport

• See Hassania Agadir the Agadir football club and
• Grand Stadium of Agadir the new stadium for Agadir.

The Botola side Hassania Agadir is the local football team of Agadir. They play their home matches at the Stade Al Inbiaâte.

Notable natives and residents

• Abbes Kabbage (died 1 May 1984) was a regional leader of the Istiqlal Party before joining the UNFP in 1960.
• Abdelaziz Lahrech (18 November 1918-14 March 1994), the PDI regional leader of the Party for Democracy and Independence
• Mohammed Khair-Eddine (1941-1995), Moroccan writer
• Abdellah Aourik, painter.
• Val Fouad, author of "Agadir", published by Editions Alan Sutton.
• Dominique Strauss-Kahn spent his childhood there from 1951 to 1960.
• Saphia Azzedine, screenwriter and writer, born in 1979 in Agadir^[28]
• Jacques Bensimon, Canadian filmmaker, was born in Agadir
• Michel Vieuchange, French adventurer and explorer, died in Agadir in 1930

Beaches outside Agadir

Agadir beach

Some of the most beautiful beaches in Morocco are located to the north of Agadir. Areas also known for excellent surfing are located near Taghazout village to Cap Ghir. Many smaller and clean beaches are located along this coast. Some of them between Agadir and Essaouira are: Agadir Beach, Tamaounza (12 km), Aitswal Beach, Imouran (17 km), Taghazout (19 km), Bouyirdn (20 km), Timzguida (22 km), Aghroud (30 km), Imiouadar (27 km).^[29]

Places to visit

• The view of the city and the bay from Agadir Oufella (Casbah)
• Bert Flint Museum on Boulevard Mohammed V
• Valley of the Birds, a pleasant bird park stretching along the Avenue of Administrations, between Boulevard Hassan II and 20 August
• The garden of Ibn Zaidoun
• Mohammed V Mosque, on the Boulevard President Kennedy
• Souk el Had
• The little train of Agadir: circuit around the city
• Amazigh (Berber) Heritage Museum at the Ayt Souss Square
• The garden of Olhão or "Garden of Portugal" and its memorial museum in Talborjt
• The marina with its Moorish architecture and shops

Nearby attractions

• The city of Taroudant 80 km to the east, along the Souss valley
• Imouzzer Ida Ou Tanane a small toewn 60 km northeast of Agadir

The beaches of Taghazout and Tamraght. A large tourism development project in the Bay of Taghazout, Taghazout-Argana Bay was launched in 2007.

• The city of Tiznit 90 km to the south and Tafraout 80 km from Tiznit, a magnificent site of pink granite rocks
• The Souss-Massa National Park and Oued Massa, about 70 km to the south and the fishing village of Tifnit
• Sidi Ifni, 160 km south of Agadir on the coast
• The city of Essaouira 175 km north of Agadir on the coast

Movies filmed in Agadir

• 1934: Le Grand Jeu by Jacques Feyder
• 1954-1955: Oasis by Yves Allégret
• 1969: Du soleil plein les yeux by Michel Boisrond
• 1988: Y'a bon les blancs by Marco Ferreri
• 2006: Days of Glory by Rachid Bouchareb
• 2009: Les Filles du désert by Hubert Besson, an episode of the television series Plus belle la vie
• 2011 Agadir Bombay by Myriam Bakir

                                                      Agadir oufella at night !