Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida)

The Portuguese City of Mazagan, in El Jadida about 90 kilometres south-west of Casablanca in Morocco, is a UNESCO World Heritage fortified enclave inscribed in 2004. Built by the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century and held until 1769, it is a rare surviving example of Renaissance military architecture with bastions shaped like arrowheads, thick ramparts and a grid of narrow streets. The walls can be walked freely, with views of the harbour, the Atlantic and the old town below. The most famous sight is the Portuguese Cistern, a vaulted underground water store with rows of stone columns and a thin layer of water on the floor that reflects light from a single opening in the roof, famously used as a location in Orson Welles's film Othello. Entry to the cistern costs about 20 MAD, while walking the ramparts is free. Other highlights include the Church of the Assumption, a Manueline-style Portuguese church, the former Jewish quarter and small craft shops. A visit lasts two to three hours and is most pleasant in the afternoon, when light on the stone is warm. The site is open daily from about 09:00 to 18:00, with the cistern closing slightly earlier. Crowds are modest, rising at weekends and in summer when day-trippers arrive. Good photo angles include the cistern's columns, the bastion tips over the sea and the white-and-blue lanes. CTM coaches from Casablanca take about 1.5 to 2 hours and cost roughly 50 to 70 MAD, followed by a short petit taxi. Visitors should wear flat shoes for the uneven stone and allow time for a fish lunch at the harbour.