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Safi is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 160 km northwest of Marrakesh in the Marrakesh-Safi region. It is one of the oldest ports on this coast, known across Morocco as the capital of pottery, and for much of the 20th century it was one of the busiest sardine ports in the world.
The Portuguese held Safi from 1508 to 1541 and left behind the sea castle of Ksar el Bahr and the vaulted choir of a Gothic cathedral in the medina. On the hill above the old town stands the Kechla fortress, now home to the National Ceramics Museum, while just outside the walls the potters' quarter still fires its wares in traditional kilns.
The coast around Safi is wild and beautiful. Its long right-hand point break draws experienced surfers, and to the north the road follows high cliffs to the sheltered cove of Lalla Fatna and the lighthouse of Cap Beddouza.
Ksar el Bahr is the sea castle of Safi, built by the Portuguese soon after they took the town in 1508 to guard the harbor and house their governor. Its thick stone walls and cannon terraces rise straight from the rocks at the edge of the medina, and the Atlantic waves have long threatened its base.
The Medina of Safi is the walled old town of Safi, rising from the shore toward the Kechla fortress on the hill above. Its main street is lined with stalls selling food, cloth and pottery, while quieter side lanes hide old mosques, small shrines and houses with heavy wooden doors.
The Walls of Safi enclose the old medina of Safi, running from the shore up the hill toward the Kechla fortress, with gates such as Bab Chaaba opening onto the newer town. Built and rebuilt under the Portuguese and later Moroccan rulers, their stone ramparts still mark the edge of the old town.
Bab Chaaba is an old gate in the walls of the medina of Safi, named after the ravine just outside it that leads up to the potters' quarter. Passing through it, visitors go from the busy lanes of the old town to the hillside workshops and kilns where Safi's famous pottery has long been made.
Potters' Hill is the craft quarter on the slope above the medina of Safi, where families of potters shape, paint and fire ceramics in workshops and domed kilns. Visitors can watch the clay being thrown on the wheel and glazed in green, blue and black, and buy straight from the makers.
The National Ceramics Museum is housed in the Kechla, a massive 16th-century fortress on the hill above the medina of Safi. Its rooms show pottery from Safi, Fez, Meknes and other centers, from old pieces to modern work, and its walls give wide views over the town, the port and the Atlantic.
Safi Ceramics are the glazed pottery wares for which Safi is famous across Morocco, from tagines, bowls and jugs to tiles and large decorated plates. Typical pieces are painted with fine patterns in green, blue, black and honey tones, and they are sold in the craft complex and many pottery shops.
Safi Fishing Port lies below the old town and was once among the leading sardine ports in the world, feeding the canneries that grew up around it. Colorful wooden boats and larger trawlers still unload their catch here, and the quays are at their liveliest early in the morning.
Lalla Fatna Beach lies about 15 km north of Safi at the foot of high cliffs, reached by a road that winds down to the sand. Named after a local saint, its sheltered cove and clear water make it one of the prettiest beaches on this stretch of coast, with a few simple cafes above the shore.
Cap Beddouza is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast north of Safi, called Cape Cantin during the French protectorate. A lighthouse stands on the point above the ocean, and the cape is thought to be the Atlas Minor that Hanno the Navigator sailed past on his voyage down the African coast.
Souiria Kedima is a small fishing village about 30 km south of Safi, near the mouth of the Tensift River, with a wide sandy bay. The remains of a 16th-century Portuguese fort stand by the shore, and its calm beach, simple fish grills and gentle waves make it a relaxed escape from the city.
Sidi Bouzid Hill rises above the northern edge of Safi and takes its name from the shrine of a local saint near its top. Cafes and restaurants along its road look down over the medina, the port and the long coastline, and it is a favorite place to watch the sun go down over the Atlantic.
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