A Tradition of Handicraft - A Glimpse Inside Essouira's Historic Shops

Hello, and welcome back to Essouira, a calm coastal city along Morocco’s Southwestern coast. Today, I would like to do something a little different. Instead of focusing on the place, I would like to show you some interesting things I found there. More specifically, I would like to take you on a shopping trip through the historic Essouira Medina (old quarter).

Morocco is a fascinating country in so many ways, and one area I have been lax in sharing with you all has been its beautiful handcrafted goods. Much of which has been made in the same way as has been tradition here for centuries. With the exception of a leather jacket I picked up in Fes, I have yet to purchase any souvenirs on this trip. When living out of a 40L backpack for months on end, one of the first things you learn is that space is a luxury, and sometimes all you can take back is the memories. That being said, as my time in Morocco was soon coming to an end, it was time to start thinking about what I might be able to bring back with me.

Knowing that my main backpack only had space left to fit some small items, I first focused my efforts on finding another bag. I would often pass by these shops where they would take old carpets and sew them into these cool leather duffel bags.

I ended up getting this one.

Next stop was cool flowing pants for my mom and sister. There were many interesting designs to choose from, but I couldn’t help but feel reminded of those elephant pants that everyone gets in Thailand.

They have many other cool, smaller bags, and I decided to pick up a few change purses for people. I loved the detailed and unique designs each one had, but also how little space they would take up in my bag.

Jewelry was tough to look at because there were so many interesting options to choose from. I wanted to get some bracelets for women, but also maybe some badass rings for my brothers and me.

Ultimately, I would just get some bracelets for my mom and sister. Looking back at these photos, though, I wish I had gotten some of those rings. I have never been one to wear any flashy jewelry, but for some reason, trying them all on like that made me feel a bit like a pirate. Perhaps it would have been worth it just to hold onto that feeling.

Next, I would look at pottery. There were so many cool little containers to choose from, perfect for a kitchen or bathroom, all also really cheap, so I picked up a little mix of different things.

I saw a nice opportunity for a small home project to mount and replace the old numbers back home, so I picked up some of these hand-painted tiles as well.

The bulkiest items I would look at would be these cool woven jackets that I would see all over the country, which were especially popular in the mountain regions. Perfect for the chilly night air, and in many cool and unique patterns. Over the course of my time here, I had grown quite fond of these jackets, and I decided I would pick a few up for my brothers and me.

Here are a few other woven items I came across. I would have loved to bring home a few carpets, but that wasn’t in the cards for this trip.

I ended up having a small amount of bag space left, so I ended up getting some scarves for various aunts. As with everything else, there were so many designs to choose from. I was particularly impressed with the quality of the fabric, as they were all surprisingly light and silky soft to the touch.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my little shopping trip in Essouira’s historic medina. Did you see any items that caught your eye? Share with me below.

All photos were taken by me. Have a great day.