Iles Purpuraires, Island group near Essaouira, Morocco.
The Iles Purpuraires are a small group of rocky islands sitting just off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, directly in front of the port of Essaouira. They are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that covers the historic town and its surrounding coastal landscape.
In ancient times, Phoenicians and later Romans used these islands to extract a prized purple dye from murex sea snails, and that industry gave them their name. The dye was so valuable across the Mediterranean that it was used to color the robes of emperors and high-ranking officials.
The name of the islands comes directly from the Latin word for purple, a reference to the dye that was once produced here from sea snails. Standing on the harbor of Essaouira and looking toward them, it is easy to forget that these bare rocks were once a center of trade reaching across the ancient Mediterranean world.
The islands are not open for free access and can only be visited by joining a boat trip from Essaouira's working harbor. The Atlantic coast here is known for strong winds, so choosing a calmer day makes the crossing much more comfortable.
The islands are now a protected nesting ground for Eleonora's falcon, a bird that breeds here in summer and then flies all the way to Madagascar for the winter. That migration route is one of the longest made by any falcon species in the world.
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