Le Jardin aux Etoiles
Riad between Agadir and Taroudant, in southern Morocco
Holiday rental with a resident of Swiss nationality
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 Kasbah: restoration a success !The centuries-old walls have been reconstructed as they were in the 16th century. |  Cable car up to the KasbahAustro-Swiss safety. | Kasbah intra murosA fascinating journey |
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Kasbah Agadir Oufella: the soul of the city lives again
and in a wonderful way!
Completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1960, the Kasbah of Agadir Oufella, whose hill dominates the city and is its very soul, is alive again today, and in a marvellous way! Oufella means "from above" in Tamazigh. Both outside and inside the walls built in the 16th century, the resurrection is remarkable for its authenticity and historical accuracy. Visitors can get there by taking the Téléphérique cable car, or by climbing the slope on foot, or by taking a taxi or an Alsa bus. It takes around fifty minutes to reach the gondola car park from the Garden of Stars.
The easiest - and most spectacular - way up to the Kasbah is by cable car. You'll be greeted with a warm welcome by the staff. The route, the first of its kind in Morocco, is 1,600 metres long. It lasts six minutes. A cabin starts every 30 seconds. Optimum safety: the installation was carried out by the Austro-Swiss company Doppelmayer-Garaventa, responsible for some of the biggest installations in the Alps. The line is open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. (until 4 p.m. during the month of Ramadan). An evening visit is highly recommended !
Silent and harmonious as they pass through the pillars that support them, the seven-seater cabins offer an extraordinary view of the Bay of Agadir and the Forest of Remembrance below.
As detailed in the two pdf files below, prices are different for Moroccan users and residents on the one hand, and foreigners on the other.
Local adults, for example, have to pay 95 dh (9 euros) for a return trip. The private promoter of the gondolas is quick to point out that this is the lowest fare in the world for this type of route. But that doesn't stop some people from crying scandal. It is true that this price, almost derisory for a European, appears high in the eyes of a Moroccan father, given the level of most local incomes. As for foreigners, they pay 120 dh (just over 10 euros) for a return ticket.
It is also possible to privatise a cabin or treat yourself to a VIP trip (4 comfortable seats, mini-bar, music), for 800 dh.
Climbing the Kasbah hill on foot, and even coming down, is entirely possible. Walking trails have been developed and equipped with sports facilities. They are obviously free.
On arrival, at the top of the Kasbah, which rises to 236 meters above sea level, an immense stone square awaits the visitor. Made up of subtle slopes and drawings, it appears like an object of art to those who know how to open their eyes and linger there. Built in stone and wood, a restaurant and cafe will open very soon.
Very well done multilingual explanatory panels explain the history of the fortress, which was built in 1532 by the Saadian dynasty to fight the Portuguese who had anchored in 1505 in the bay of Agadir, giving the very small city called Santa Cruz. Nine years later, at the end of a long siege, the Saadians definitively expelled the Portuguese, who had also found more glorious outlets via the Cape of Good Hope.
The highlight of the visit lies in the route created inside the centuries-old walls. Entrance tickets can be purchased at the arrival of the cable cars or on the Agadir Oufella Kasbah website. Prices are detailed in the pdf file below . As with the gondolas, they are different depending on whether the visitors are national or international.
Extremely well designed, an audio guide in several languages accompanies any in-depth visit. Particularly well suited to the needs of groups, guides are also available. Allow two hours for an in-depth visit, three quarters of an hour for a quick discovery.
The Franco-Moroccan architect and anthropologist behind the resurrection of the Kasbah.
These buildings will house the ticket office, a restaurant and a café.
Towards the interior of the Kasbah.
The cannons that defended the Kasbah against Portuguese attacks.
Here on the site of the former Café maure.
Photo Agadir Première.
Convincing reconstruction.
Points of remembrance for those who disappeared in 1960 have been set up to allow people to pay their respects in accordance with the rules of the three monotheistic religions.
Tribute to Lalla Yamna N'Sidi Brahim, who used to live in the Kasbah, but is not yet open to visitors.
Let's hope they disappear soon.
Whitewashed.
Bins are dotted around the route. Use them !
The route of the Kasbah intra muros is a maze of wooden decks which follows the streets of the medina as it existed until 1960. It is therefore respectful of the remains of the missing still buried underground. In 1960, the citadel had around 1,000 inhabitants.
The visit begins with the gunboat, a vast esplanade overlooking the sea. Equipped with period cannons, it allows you to see how the Kasbah was defended. We can also see the door of Saadian origin found during the rehabilitation work and reconstructed. These include, in particular, the location of the old Moorish Café , the whitewashed walls, the mosque and the niche which indicates the direction of Mecca. Further on, we discover several ecumenical points of contemplation. The Jewish quarter, the souk and a small school are located. At each place of interest, signs signed by the architect and anthropologist Salima Naji allow you to understand the stages of the route.
Problematic antennas
The house of Lalla Yamna N'Sidi Brahim , who resided in the Kasbah, and her sisters Sfia and Mrim , has been restored. It is visible from above but not yet open to visitors. We cannot stop at the location of the tomb of the saint Sidi Boujmâa Agnaou , venerated by the Gnaoua .
Why these impossibilities? Because - and official information is careful not to mention this aspect - three hideous radio-TV transmission antennas have still not been eliminated from the Kasbah area, although it is recognized as a historic monument. From then on, the last part of the journey, the most charged with emotion, remains to be completed.
It will include an ecumenical memorial of 1,000 m², placed between the historic tombs. A symbolically broken mirror should take its place in the heart of the amphitheater of contemplation, to evoke the tragedy of 1960. The whole should end with a corridor of remembrance decorated with a wall of multilingual testimonies. It was planned that the visitor would leave the Kasbah through a door in the eastern wall, before reaching the square and the departure of the cable cars. Failing this, and while waiting, we leave the citadel by turning around to the front door.
At 45 minutes
from Garden of Stars.
Prefer the express road !
The Kasbah Agadir Oufella in two videos
The Kasbah Agadir Oufella in the Garden of Stars blog
