Azemmour

Azemmour
Azmmur ⴰⵣⵎⵎⵓⵔ أزمور
Azamor / Azemmour
Town

Azemmour old city.
Azemmour

Location of Azemmour in Morocco

Coordinates: 33°17′16″N 8°20′32″W / 33.28778°N 8.34222°W / 33.28778; -8.34222Coordinates: 33°17′16″N 8°20′32″W / 33.28778°N 8.34222°W / 33.28778; -8.34222
Country  Morocco
Region Casablanca-Settat
Province El Jadida

Azemmour or Azamor (from berber: Azmmur or Azemmur "The Olive" ; Portuguese: Azamor) is a Moroccan city, on the left bank of the Oum Er-Rbia River, 75 km southwest of Casablanca.[1]

History

Before 1486, it was a dependency of the King of Fez. In 1486 its inhabitants became vassals and tributaries of João II of Portugal.[2]

In 1513 Azemmour's governor Moulay Zayam refused to pay the tribute and mustered a powerful, well-equipped army. Manuel responded to this challenge by sending a massive fleet of 500 ships and 15 thousand soldiers (Bergreen, 19). James, Duke of Braganza led this army and on 1 September he conquered the city with no resistance from its inhabitants. Ferdinand Magellan, the man famed for leading the first-ever circumnavigation of the earth, was among the Portuguese soldiers there; he lost his horse in skirmishes outside the city.[3] Portuguese control of the city lasted only for a short period; it was abandoned by João III of Portugal in 1541 due to his court's economic difficulties.[4]

Geography

Azemmour is located on the Oum Er-Rbia River 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of Casablanca.[1]

Azemmour's beach, referred to locally as Azemmour Plage, is a place for surfing and kitesurfing.[5] Also called Haouzia, the area's flora includes eucalyptus and pine.[6]

Culture

A spring festival is held annually in Azemmour in March. It was first held in 2007.[7] The patron saint of Azemmour is Abu Shuayb. His mausoleum was built on the order of Mohammed ben Abdallah. Each year, a moussem is celebrated to honour him. The Old City's walls are decorated by several local artists.[8] The city features a Portuguese medina, which has three parts, a Jewish mellah, a kasbah, and the old medina.[1] A historic lighthouse called Sidi Boubeker is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Azemmour.[6]

Notable natives or residents

See also

Images

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc (2012). Fodor's Morocco. Fodors Travel Publications. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-307-92832-0.
  2. ↑ Lhoussain Simour (19 November 2014). Recollecting History beyond Borders: Captives, Acrobats, Dancers and the Moroccan-American Narrative of Encounters. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4438-7142-6.
  3. ↑ EPUB 2-3 (23 October 2013). Ferdinand Magellan. Infobase Learning. ISBN 978-1-4381-4851-9.
  4. ↑ Leonor Freire Costa; Pedro Lains; Susana Münch Miranda (3 May 2016). An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-107-03554-6.
  5. ↑ "Azemmour Travel Guide - VirtualTourist". www.virtualtourist.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. 1 2 DK (2 February 2015). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Morocco. DK Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4654-3832-4.
  7. ↑ Marcello Balbo (15 May 2012). The Medina: Restoration and Conservation of Historic Islamic Cities. I.B.Tauris. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-84885-713-1.
  8. ↑ Travel guide of Lonely Planet: Morocco, 9th Edition Feb 2009, ISBN 978-1-74104-971-8 p. 149.
  9. ↑ Edward E. Curtis (2010). Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History. Infobase Publishing. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-4381-3040-8.
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