4 Best Places to Shop in Essaouira, Agadir and the Southern Atlantic Coast

Essaouira is a great shopping destination. Although the range may be more limited than in Marrakesh or Fez, the vendors are a lot more relaxed and starting prices are often reasonable.

Essaouira is famed as an artisan center expert in marquetry and inlay. Boxes, platters, and picture frames made of local thuya wood make excellent gifts, and the wood-carvers' souk below the skala is a popular place to purchase them. A hard, local wood that shines up to almost plastic perfection, thuya is sculpted for both artistic and practical use. Almost-life-size statues and sculptures sit alongside boxes, bowls, and chess sets. Scan a number of stores to see whether you prefer the even-toned thuya branch inlaid with mother-of-pearl or walnut or one with swirling root designs. To get a bulk price, buy a bunch of items from a craftsman who specializes in them.

The main areas for purchasing local crafts and souvenirs are Rue Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah, Derb Laalouj, and along the skala. Colorful, woven baskets hang from herbalists' stores in the spice souk and Place Marché aux Grains across the road. While the bazaars, tended by turbaned men of the South, will sell antique (and faux-antique) silver jewelry, locals tend to buy new items from the jewelry souk off Avenue L’Istiqlal. Dive into the small, shady alleyways off the main areas to find more treasures such as carpets, cushion covers, up-cycled antiques from ruined Jewish houses, jewelry and punched metal, and goatskin lamps.

Essaouira is also home to a number of expat artists and craftspeople. Many restaurants and boutique stores sell their work in glass cabinets at fixed prices.