Bab Sbaa, City gate in Essaouira, Morocco.
Bab Sbaa is a city gate in Essaouira with two entrances connected by a covered corridor flanked by small pavilions. These pavilions now function as exhibition galleries, forming an integrated structure within the medina walls.
The gate was built in 1866 during the expansion of the Kasbah under Sultan Mohammed Ben Abderrahmane. Architect Houssein Gannoun El Fassi designed it as part of the city's development during that period.
The gate displays traditional Moroccan architectural style with square battlements and a rounded form that blends with the medina walls. Visitors can see how this structure served both as a practical passage and as a visual expression of the city's design.
The gate sits near Place Orson Welles and serves as a major taxi stand for blue cabs heading in different directions. From here, visitors have easy access to Dar Souiri and the city's tourism office.
The structure displays a rounded form that visitors often overlook, which sets it apart from typical rectangular gate designs of the period. This choice was deliberate and helped the building blend more smoothly with the existing urban layout.
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