The ancient of Essaouira is heading towards a new era in its history, thanks to the Complementary Program for Rehabilitation and Evaluation (2019-2023), for which a partnership and financing agreement was signed at the hands of His Majesty King Mohammed VI on October 22, 2018 in Marrakesh.
Thanks to the high care of His Majesty the King, who has been surrounded by this rich intangible heritage, this great program will inevitably enable this metropolis, like the ancient cities of the various historical cities of the Kingdom, to enter a new era on the path of enhancing its reputation, attractiveness and radiance to contribute effectively and efficiently to economic development and social for metropolis winds.
Thus, this royal push to rehabilitate and preserve the heritage of ancient cities in the historical metropolises of the Kingdom, through a new generation of programs aimed at valuing these urban fabrics, will give the ancient city of Essaouira a new image on the horizon of 2023, making it a real lever for the development of the city.
The visionary royal vision in the field of preserving and valuing ancient cities in order to preserve their radiance will enable the ancient city of Essaouira to become an architectural and urban jewel capable of consolidating the prominent position of this Atlantic metropolis, as a meeting place for religions and a city known and recognized at the international level in promoting the values of coexistence and coexistence and sharing.
In addition to developing the architectural framework of this metropolis and preserving its historical heritage and unique architectural character, this ambitious program aims to improve the daily living conditions of merchants, traditional craftsmen and families living in the old city of Essaouira, and to liberate the qualifications of the urban fabric and make it a tourist and economic pole par excellence, through a series of initiatives and works that It combines originality and modernity, within the framework of a participatory approach based on consultation, coordination and convergence of visions.
In this regard, the regional authorities are keen to hold periodic meetings to get a closer look at the studies, works, the completed phases and the ongoing or future projects, within the framework of this great program that will contribute to the consolidation of the multidimensional dynamism in the metropolis of winds.
During these meetings, it was stressed the need to respect the deadlines for the completion of works and projects related to this major workshop, and the various stakeholders and parties concerned with the workshops were called to intensify efforts and speed up the pace of works to achieve the desired goals within the specified deadlines.
It was also emphasized the need to be vigilant during the implementation of all interventions, especially those related to the renewal of destinations, in order to preserve the original character of the ancient city and protect the drawings based on murals and buildings.
This program (300 million dirhams), which benefits 13,000 residents of the old city, concerns 26 projects based on 4 main axes: rehabilitation of the urban space, restoration and rehabilitation of historical heritage, enhancing access to social services, and strengthening the tourist and economic attractiveness of the old city to Essaouira.
This new generation program is the fruit of a partnership between the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Territory Preparation, Urbanization, Housing and City Policy, the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, Air Transport and Social Economy, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and the Marrakesh Region Council. Safi, the Collective Council of Essaouira, and the Omran Group.
The supplementary program for the rehabilitation and valorization of the ancient city of Essaouira (2019-2023) falls within the framework of the efforts made, under the high leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aimed at preserving and valuing the old cities in a number of cities of the Kingdom such as Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fez, Meknes, Sale and Tetouan .