Panoramic view of the historic Mazagan city (Portuguese City) in El Jadida, featuring old stone walls, cannons, and the sea alongside modern buildings in the background.
Les Cyprés — El Jadida — The UNESCO World Heritage

The UNESCO World Heritage

The site was added to the UNESCO World Her­itage List in 2004 due to its excep­tion­al rep­re­sen­ta­tion of Por­tuguese colo­nial archi­tec­ture and its his­tor­i­cal sig­nif­i­cance. The city is one of the best-pre­served exam­ples of Por­tuguese colo­nial set­tle­ments in Morocco.

It con­tains many archi­tec­tur­al mas­ter­pieces from the Por­tuguese era, such as ram­parts, bas­tions, gates, and the Church of Our Lady of the Assump­tion. The cis­tern and the cas­tle are great exam­ples of Por­tuguese mil­i­tary and civ­il engineering.

Today, El Jadi­da (Maza­gan) is a pop­u­lar tourist des­ti­na­tion, with vis­i­tors vis­it­ing the city to enjoy its his­to­ry, archi­tec­ture, and diverse cul­ture. Its des­ig­na­tion as a World Her­itage Site by UNESCO ensures its preser­va­tion for future gen­er­a­tions. The city is a unique exam­ple of a fusion of Por­tuguese, Islam­ic, and Moroc­can influ­ences, mak­ing it an excit­ing place to explore.