Essaouira and Safi

Busy port

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Fishing boats

Fish in Essaouira

Safi's Portuguese fortress

Safi's fortress

Essaouira is a port city and resort on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. It's the sardine capital of Morocco!! Its medina (old town) is protected by 18th-century seafront ramparts called the Skala de la Kasbah, which were designed by European engineers. Old brass cannons line the walls, and there are ocean views. Strong "Alizée" trade winds make the city’s crescent beach popular for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Jews constituted almost 40% of the population in the late 1800's. Former residents, mostly Jews, formed a committee to rehabilitate the town. Two historic synagogues are being restored and the Jewish cemetery right outside of town is extremely well-kept.

Safi is a port city on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Ksar El Bahr, a 16th-century fortress built by Portuguese colonizers, is on the waterfront. In the old town, food and craft stalls line the Rue du Souq. Nearby, the National Museum of Ceramics is in another Portuguese-built fort. The centerpiece of the collection is decorated local pottery, created in workshops in the hillside Colline des Potiers quarter

Cartagena, Colombia- UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cartagena is a city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of the Bolivar Department. The port city had a population of 1.3 million and is the 5th largest city in Colombia and the second largest in the region, after Barranquilla. The Cartagena urban area is also the fifth-largest urban area in the country. Economic activities include maritime and petrochemicals industry, as well as tourism.

The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain. However, settlement in this region around Cartagena Bay by various indigenous people dates back to 4000 BC. During the colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984 Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was a strategic place for security in the early centuries. It has always been an important port, even upto today.

Vista views of the city:

Fortress:

Materials of Fortress include limestone, coral and brick:

Saint Peter Claver Church courtyard:

Square with Colonial and Republic architecture:

Christopher Colombus statue with six pointed stars: