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MOROCCO

At Agadir, tikida means carat golfing

by Ben Uneroor

Agadir November 2003 - Landing at Agadir for a first trip to Morocco could give a tourist a wrong image of the country. Even called the “Pearl of the South”, Agadir (which means storehouse in Berber) is a modern seaside city which original history has completely been erased by a terrible earthquake in 1960. The only witness of old times are the reconstructed remparts of the ancient Kasbah fortress, erected till the XIV by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and Moroccan.

The harbour is still an important fishing port but it became more industrial while Agadir has been rebuilt as a modern city thanks to architects, planners and international assistance and investors.

To appreciate the complete contrast between the new city and what Agadir was looking before 1960 is to arrive by road coming - along the splendid seashore - from Essaouira, the ancient Mogador city born at the same time.

Essaouira is sort of alive museum-city representing the Morrocan history and culture, while Agadir is the ideal destination for winter sunshine seekers ! Agadir is undoubtedly, for the time being, the only real seaside resort in Morocco .

A beautiful beach with fine sand, sunshine 300 days a year, many hotels from village clubs like the Kasbah, one of the first in the city, to four and five stars like the Tikida Beach : tikida being the diamond reference, the carat. And Agadir is the door to the Souss valley and the Southern arid lands

One of the objectives of the local tourist authorities and hotels managers would be to attract golfers not only in the winter times but also on summer season. Due the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, heath is never so hot in Agadir as it is in many continental places. In fact it temperature rarely goes over 30°C and is much more near to 25°C with refreshing sea breezes.

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Morocco map

Agadir old kasbah

and modern city

Tikida Beach Hotel and

Tikida means carat

Original photos: C Jarricot