Agadir Ofellah (The Kasbah)


The Kasbah also called Agadir Ofella (upper Agadir) was built in 1540 by King Mohammed Ech-cheikh to protect the city from potential invasions, especially Portuguese ones. The earthquake of 1960 destroyed the magnificent walls but other fortifications were built with the authentic gateway. This unique site overlooks the ocean at a height of 265 meters, offering a magnificent panorama of the city, the bay and the countryside.

The construction of the Kasbah:
The Kasbah was built for military reasons, to protect the city and its harbor from foreign invasions.
In 1505, the Captain Joao Lopez de Sequeira built, with stone and lime a small fort to protect a source of fresh water.
In 1511, the Souss tribes launched a first attack against the Portuguese settled in Agadir.
In 1513, the King of Portugal Dom Manuel bought the small fort and named it ‘Holy Cross of Cape Guir’ (‘Santa Cruz de Cabo de Aguer’).
In 1536, the Saadian sultan Moulayabdallah El Kaim bi Amri Allah declared the holy war, ‘Jihad’ against the Portuguese. His son Mohammed Ech-Cheikh El Mehdi finally managed to get Agadir back on September 26, 1540.Ech-Cheikh Mohammed became king and built the Kasbah with fortified towers and set between 40 and 50 cannons to defend the city.
In 1541, the Saadian dynasty frees entirely the city from the Portuguese occupation. This was the beginning of the rebirth of Agadir.
The Kasbah was destroyed the first time in November 1755 by an earthquake called ‘The Lisbon earthquake’, then in 1960 during the Agadir earthquake.
Today it offers a panoramic view of the bay of Agadir, the Western High Atlas mountains and the plain of Souss.