Location: Azemmour
Top Things to do in Azemmour
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What to do and see in Azemmour, Doukkala-Abda Region: The Best Things to do
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.
Restaurants in Azemmour
1. Maison d'Artisanat
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By SolomonBinding - London, United Kingdom
This exciting building is housed in a converted old madrassa. A couple of the people I've been there with or have met there have told me about their lessons in the school when they were young. It was disused for some years and finally funding was obtained for the transformation into a regional centre for handicrafts. The edifice comprises three floors and a roof terrace. The walls are ancient and thus are thick, allowing the surroundings to be cool in the summer. The large courtyard is ideal for gatherings and exhibitions - the first one I attended very soon after the opening was one organised by the Institut Francais of photographs from a Moroccan photographer. There is enough room to mingle and for the buffet tables that are normal at these events to be set out. Also on the ground floor is a fixed price shop selling handicrafts from the region - these are all authentic, well made and at reasonable prices. Leading off the shop is a large auditorium where I have also attended a reading of Arab-language poems by poets of several nationalities, one from as far away as Iraq. Around the courtyard are several workshops where local craftsmen make their wares and display them. These continue up to the first floor too. Azemmour is known for its embroidery and there are a couple of spaces selling beautiful, hand-crafted work for reasonable prices. The second floor is mainly classrooms of varying disciplines. One of the aims of the Maison d'Artisanat is to engender and continue the tradition of arts and crafts before they are lost. Apprentices and students are learning to keep these skills alive. On the roof terrace, which is unused (maybe they should put a cafe there) are the most stunning views of Azemmour and the river imaginable. There's even a sea view. A charitable association meets regularly in the premises to develop ways to enhance the offerings of the building and to make the traditions more well known. I sat in on one of their meetings the other day and was impressed by the dedication and zeal of the members. Even nicer, I shared the huge couscous that had been prepared by the group! I really do recommend a visit here. If in Azemmour, it is not to be missed.
2. Shrine of Rabbi Abraham Moul Niss
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By SolomonBinding - London, United Kingdom
I often come to Azemmour from my home in El Jadida for a wander around the Ancienne Medina and have passed by the shrine on numerous occasions but have never managed to find anyone to let me in. Last November, I was in luck. I was showing an American friend around the town and we met one of the young musicians who performs at the Prive restaurant in Jadida. He lives virtually next to the shrine and he said he could find someone to let us in. Fair enough, he spoke to a guy who had some keys and we entered the sanctuary. Unfortunately neither my acquaintance nor the key bearer knew much about the history of the saint or the shrine and the elderly Jewess who is sometimes present by arrangement was not in evidence that day. The shrine comprises of several rooms, some subterranean, containing artifacts and books in Hebrew. It is maintained by a charitable Jewish foundation which also owns the land above the cave and which the guardian confirmed will build a retreat and hostel for pilgrims there - we saw evidence of the starting of that work. Outside the shrine, there's a well-tended square with a view over the river. We certainly didn't get any hassle from children or vendors either around the building or anywhere in Azemmour at all. It's a sad visit nonetheless to think that vibrant, integrated and established Jewish communities were lured from Morocco by false promises leaving just a few of their community behind with their treasured edifices and traditions. This contribution to Moroccan life cannot be erased, fortunately. It's certainly worth a visit, especially if you can get in. My visitor friend tipped the guardian 20 dirhams. This might grease the hinges of the door for future visitors if they do the same.
3. Oum er Rbia River
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By SolomonBinding - London, United Kingdom
This listing is for the Oum er Rabia river in Azemmour. I really wish people would stop posting completely misleading pictures of the river at its source when it is narrow and fast. In Azemmour the river is slow, wide and majestic. The bank of the river next to the town was completely renewed a few years ago and the improvements have been kept up. There's a wide walkway with a couple of new cafes as well as some artworks. There's a rather dear cafe nearest to the bridge and further on there a cafe opened by a cooperative of local boatmen and fishermen that unfortunately does not serve coffee, only mint tea and soft drinks. It's a very popular area at weekends and in the evenings. Between these cafes is the mooring point for the boats that take visitors onto the river. There's a price list at the top of the small jetty so no one can be swindled - the prices are for the boat, not per person. There are two access points up steep steps into the Ancienne Medina, one of which is right by the fishermen's cafe.
4. Medina of Azemmour
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By SolomonBinding - London, United Kingdom
During the strict lockdown, the artists from the youth of Azemmour got together online and devised a plan to beautify the town. They worked out the logistics of how they could repaint the old medina and which tasks should be allocated to whom. Virtually the whole of the area within the walls has been done. There are new murals and tags and most of the old winding streets have been painted with a bright blue colour. Some of the pavements have been jazzed up with geometric designs. The effect is stunning. The medina had been looking a bit dilapidated, but now it's fresh and vibrant. Azemmour is progressing leaps and bounds with initiatives like this and others from craft and/or development charitable foundations run by concerned citizens. I personally attended a meeting of the association of the Maison d'Artisanat a few days ago and heard about plans to widen the appeal of the traditional crafts of the town and attract domestic and foreign tourists to see seminars, workshops and displays (and maybe to purchase). All this is happening within the walls of the Medina of Azemmour.
