| Azemmour أزمور ⴰⵣⵎⵓⵔ Azamor |
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| — Town — | |
| Azemmour old city. | |
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Azemmour
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Morocco |
| administrative region | Greater Casablanca |
| Population | |
| • Total | approx. 40,000 |
Azemmour or Azamor (Arabic: أزمور; from Berber ⴰⵣⵎⵎⵓⵔ azemmur, i.e. "The Olives"; Portuguese: Azamor) is a Moroccan city, on the left bank of the Oum Er-Rbia River, 75 km southwest of Casablanca. Although it was a dependency of the King of Fez, Azemmour had great autonomy. In 1486 its inhabitants became vassals and tributaries of João II of Portugal. Manuel I of Portugal confirmed the treaty in 1497 and the city paid 10 000 savéis every year. Later, unrest started to grow and thus Manuel sent a small fleet commanded by João de Meneses to conquer the city in 1508.
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 five hundred ships and fifteen 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 and lost his horse in skirmishes outside the city. However, Portuguese control of the city lasted for a short period as it was abandoned by João III of Portugal in 1541 due to economic difficulties.
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.
One of the most famous persons from Azemmour is without doubt Estevanico (Esteban the Moor) who is considered to be the first post-Columbian Berber to set foot in the New World.
The Azemmour Festival is held annually on July.
Azemmour's beach, referred to locally as Azemmour Plage, is a place for surfing and kitesurfing.[1][2]
Street art in Medina: Old city's walls are decorated by several local artists.[3]
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