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Shopping Guide
Essaouira Shopping Guide
Argan oil from source cooperatives, hand-carved thuya wood, gallery art, and silver Berber jewellery — the Wind City's best buys in calmer souks than Marrakech.
Quick Tips
Bargain: Start at 40% of asking price
Best time: Morning (less crowded)
Main area: Skala workshops + medina souks
What to Buy in Essaouira
Argan Oil
150–300 MAD per litreEssaouira's most famous product. The argan forests surround the city, making this the best place to buy authentic argan oil. Two types: culinary (roasted, darker, nutty flavour — for cooking and dipping) and cosmetic (raw, lighter — for skin and hair). The women's cooperatives south of town process it by hand and sell directly. Buying from cooperatives supports local women's employment and guarantees authenticity.
Women's cooperatives (Marjana, Amal) on the Agadir road; medina shops on Rue de la SkalaTip: Culinary argan oil should be dark amber and smell nutty. If it's clear and odourless, it's diluted or fake.
Thuya Wood Crafts
30–500 MADEssaouira's signature craft. The thuya tree (a citrus-scented conifer) grows only in this region. Artisans carve intricate boxes, chess sets, picture frames, and decorative items from the burl wood, inlaying them with lemon wood, ebony, and mother-of-pearl. The Skala workshops (under the sea rampart) let you watch the carvers at work. The quality ranges from tourist trinkets to museum-quality marquetry — prices reflect the difference.
Skala artisan workshops (under the ramparts), medina woodwork shopsTip: The best pieces use the burl (loupe) wood — the swirling grain pattern is natural, not painted on
Art & Gallery Pieces
200–5,000+ MADEssaouira has Morocco's strongest contemporary art scene. Dozens of galleries show Moroccan and international artists. The Gnaoua-influenced art — spiritual, vibrant, often featuring trance imagery — is unique to Essaouira. Galerie Damgaard (the pioneer who put Essaouira art on the map), Espace Othello, and the galleries along Rue de la Skala are the most established. Prices range from affordable prints to serious collector pieces.
Galerie Damgaard, Espace Othello, and galleries along Rue de la Skala and Rue Ibn RochdTip: Smaller galleries in the medina back streets have emerging artists at lower prices — quality can be excellent
Silver Berber Jewellery
50–500 MADTraditional Amazigh (Berber) silver jewellery — chunky bracelets, fibulae (cloak pins), pendants, and rings with geometric and symbolic designs. The jewellery souk in the medina has dozens of stalls. Old pieces (genuinely antique) are more expensive and harder to find; new pieces copying traditional designs are widely available. The silver content varies — ask and check the hallmark. Essaouira's Jewish heritage also influences the jewellery tradition.
Jewellery souk in the medina, and antique shops along Rue de la SkalaTip: Genuine old Berber silver is heavier and has an uneven patina — if it's perfectly uniform, it's new production
Spices & Dried Herbs
10–50 MADThe spice souk near the clocktower sells: ras el hanout (the signature Moroccan spice blend — every vendor has their own recipe), saffron (often fake — buy from reputable stalls), cumin, cinnamon, dried rose petals, and herbal remedies. Essaouira also specializes in dried seafood ingredients (dried octopus, fish) and argan-infused honey. Prices are lower than Marrakech for equivalent quality.
Spice souk near the clocktower, and the market along Rue Mohammed el QoriTip: Real saffron costs 15–30 MAD per gram — if it's cheaper, it's safflower (not dangerous, just not saffron)
Musical Instruments
100–1,000 MADAs the home of Gnaoua music, Essaouira is the best place to buy traditional instruments: the gembri (three-stringed bass lute — the iconic Gnaoua instrument), qraqeb (iron castanets), bendir (frame drum), and darbuka (goblet drum). The instrument makers in the medina hand-craft these from wood and goatskin. A handmade gembri is a serious musical instrument; the tourist versions are decorative but less playable.
Musical instrument workshops in the medina, and the souk near Place Moulay HassanTip: A playable gembri costs 400–1,000 MAD; the 100 MAD versions are decorative souvenirs, not real instruments
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Essaouira famous for buying?
Essaouira has four signature crafts you won't find better anywhere else: argan oil (culinary and cosmetic — the argan forests are nearby), thuya wood (intricate marquetry boxes, chess sets, and decorative items from the local thuya tree), contemporary Moroccan art (Essaouira has Morocco's strongest gallery scene), and silver Berber jewellery (traditional Amazigh designs). The medina souks are calmer and less pressured than Marrakech, making shopping more pleasant.
Is shopping in Essaouira cheaper than Marrakech?
Yes and no. Essaouira's specialties (argan oil, thuya wood) are cheaper at source here than in Marrakech. Argan oil: 150–300 MAD/litre in Essaouira vs 300–600 MAD in Marrakech. Thuya wood: 20–40% cheaper. However, generic Moroccan crafts (leather, ceramics, textiles) have a similar price range. The big advantage is the shopping atmosphere — Essaouira's souks are calmer, less aggressive, and shopkeepers tend to quote more reasonable starting prices.
Where are the best shops in Essaouira?
The best shopping areas in Essaouira: the Skala artisan workshops (thuya wood carvers under the ramparts — watch them work), the argan oil cooperatives south of town (women's cooperatives with the freshest oil), Rue de la Skala (galleries and craft shops), the jewellery souk (silver Berber pieces), and the spice souk near the clocktower. The Ensemble Artisanal (government-run) has fixed prices to use as benchmarks before bargaining in the medina.