Fodor's Expert Review Port Skala

Essaouira has two principal skala, fortified bastions with fabulous cannons: the medina skala and the port skala. Each was a strategic maritime defense point. Unlike the straight-edged Moorish constructions in other Moroccan cities, the ramparts in Essaouira are triangular, so the insider looking out has a broader field of vision than the enemy peering in. Orson Welles filmed scenes of his 1951 film Othello from the tower of the port skala, picking up a magnificent panorama of town, port, and bay all in one that can still be seen today.  The entrance fee is worth it to get the picture-postcard view of the medina through a round opening in the wall.