Azemmour

Azemmour
Azemmur 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 (Berber: Azemmur, meaning: olive; Portuguese: Azamor) is a Moroccan city, lying at the Atlantic ocean coast, 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 September 1st 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 is a place for surfing and kitesurfing.[5] Also called Haouzia, the area's flora includes eucalyptus and pine.[6]

Culture

A spring festival used to be 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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