Near the Bâb es-Sûk, or S.E. gate, is the *Market (Sûk; comp, p. [335]), and a little beyond it are the warehouses of the foreign merchants.
In the W. quarter (Tnaquer), which down to 1907 consisted chiefly of the reed-huts of the lower-class workmen, similar to those outside the S.W. gate (Bâb Marâkesh), modern stone dwellings have sprung up and public grounds also have been laid out. Farther out are the wooden barracks of the French and Spanish troops of occupation. On the low hills to the E. and S.E. are the new French forts ‘Provost’ and ‘Ihler’.
A considerable way beyond Casablanca the Steamer passes the mouth of the Um er-Rebîa (see below), on the left bank of which is Asimmûr, and a little farther on it casts anchor in the open roads of Mazagan, far outside the little harbour, which dates from the Portuguese period. (Landing or embarkation 3 p.)
Mazagan (Hôt. de l’Univers, pens. 6–8 fr.; Hôt. du Commerce, same charges; Brit. vice-cons., T. G. Spinney; pop. 25,500, incl. 3000 Jews and about 500 Europeans), formerly called El-Brîja by the Moroccans, now El-Jedida (‘the new’), 250 M. from Tangier, lies on a terrace on the W. shore of a large bay which is now much choked with sand. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1506, held by them down to 1769, and was their last possession in Morocco; but it long remained a place of no importance. The old town, square in shape, protected from the surf by a chain of cliffs, and altered after 1769, is still enclosed by its Portuguese wall of defence, which is 29 ft. thick at places. Several houses bearing Portuguese coats-of-arms and the Palace of the Inquisition in the N. angle of the town recall the Christian domination. In recent times Mazagan has developed into the chief seaport of Marakesh. The great Thursday market, held on the W. side of the town, and the granaries on the S. side afford an idea of the extent of its trade (imports and exports being estimated, when crops are good, at 20 million fr. per annum). The climate is considered very healthy.
The alcanna shrub (Lawsonia inermis) abounds in the environs. From its leaves is prepared the brownish-red henna, used for colouring the finger-nails. This ancient custom still prevails among both Mohammedans and Jews in N. Africa.
Excursions. The picturesquely situated town of Azimmûr, about 12½ M. to the E., lies on the Um er-Rebîa or Morbêya, the Asama of antiquity, a stream which separates the Shâuya region from the Dukkâla The town, with its 10,000 inhab., incl. 1000 Jews, contains the shrine of Mulaï bu Shaïb, much visited by pilgrims, and is environed with beautiful gardens of pomegranates, oranges, and figs. On the same river lie the orange-groves of Mhiula.—To the S.W. one may ride along the coast, past the Zâuya Mulaï Abdallah and the ruins of the Roman town of Tit, to Cabo Blanco (see below).
Leaving Mazagan we pass the Cabo Blanco (230 ft.; Arabic Jerf el-Asfâr) and then the Walediya Lake, ca. 40 M. long. Farther on, from the abrupt coast juts out Cape Cantin (450 ft.; Arabic Râs el-Hûdik), well known to mariners as a landmark, whence the coast runs S. to the Tensift (p. [109]). We call next at—
Saffi (Hot. Llamas; Brit. vice-cons., G. B. Hunot; pop. 19,750, incl. 2500 Jews), called also Safi or Asfi, 350 M. from Tangier. The harbour is inadequately sheltered from the W. and S.W. gales by a narrow neck of land and two cliffs, and its entrance is obstructed by a sandbank. (Landing or embarkation 1 p.) Saffi is the capital of the fertile region of Abda, noted for its horse-breeding, and girdled with black soil (comp. p. [93]) fertile to a breadth of 37 M. at places. It lies picturesquely on a lofty chalk plateau, in an almost semicircular bay, amidst woods and green pastures, but is haunted by fever in summer. Prior to the foundation of Mazagan and Mogador it was the chief port of Marakesh, and like Agâdir (p. [110]) was one of the most important harbours of S. Morocco, but its trade, mostly in European hands, has now fallen off (total about 10 million francs). The chief industry of the place, which has given its name to Saffian leather, is now the manufacture of pottery.
Close to the harbour lies the Jewish Quarter, and behind it is the Medina or Mohammedan quarter, both squalid. Adjoining the latter is the Spanish Catholic church. The picturesque Citadel at the E. end of the old town and the town-walls are of Portuguese origin. The Sûk, or market, is in the S. suburb of Rabbât.
The Steamer next sights, near the mouth of the Tensift, the Jebel el-Hadid (2182 ft.; ‘iron-mountain’; p. [110]), already famed in Punic times for its iron-ore, the only considerable hill on the coast between this and Mogador. The vessel rounds Cape Hadid, the S. limit of the fertile coast-plain, sighting in the distance the spurs of the Great Atlas (p. [93]), and soon reaches (410 M. from Tangier; landing or embarkation 2½ p.) the seaport of—