Bab Sbaa, City gate in Essaouira, Morocco.
Description
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.
History
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.
Culture
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.
Practical
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.
Did you know?
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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Essaouira is a port city on Morocco's coast where the 18th-century medina stands protected by UNESCO. Massive fortification walls topped with Portuguese cannons enclose the winding streets where traditional markets, mosques, and synagogues sit side by side. Fishing boats painted in blue and white...
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