Essaouira Mogador is a town at the Atlantic coast of Morocco
Essaouira

 
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The sugar refinery

Sugar cane was produced during the 16th century and there is an ancient refinery in Ida Ou Gourd.(20 km from Essaouira) It was constructed by the Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Essaâdi of the Saadian dynasty, 1578.

Map with Ida ou Gourd

Road sign Ida ougourd

Weekly souk on wednesdays.

For other regional sights see Map Tours

 

Sugar Factory in Ida ougourd

GPS
Coordinates:
N31 26.421
W9 37.099
Altitude:
 136 meter

Aqueduct in the sugar factory

Aqueduct

Show the map Essaouira Mogador bigger

NEWS

 

Sugar factory in Ida Ougourd

This sugar refinery was built along the river Oued Ksob, "the river of the cane",
which water was used for watering of the plantations. It was distributed to the growers by
irrigation channels forming a distribution network of 25 kilometers.

With clay from the riverbeds, terra cotta moulds were made to contain 5 kg of sugar.
Pieces of theese moulds can still be found on the ground.

Sugar factory in Ida Ougourd

The ocra coloured remparts is the rest of an aqueduct which
transported the water from Oued Ksob to a water basin.

The sugar refinery

 

Riuns of the sugar factory

The sugar factoruy was in use 25 years.
4oo years later we can still see the walls of the aqueducts, made of stones and clay.

Aqueduct over the river

 

The sultan Ahmed El Mansour is called “Ed Dehdi”: gilded because he invaded Arabic Soudane (country of the blacks) and brought back gold and thousands of slaves who then were used building the palaces.

It is said that the sugar was exchanged in Italy against Carrara marble being used for decoration of the Moroccan palaces.

The sugar refinery was in use from 1578 to 1603 til the death of the sultan.

Sultan Ahmed el Mansour also constructed the Saadian Tombs in Marrakech during his rule of Morocco. It is a burial ground for himself and his descendants. About two hundred members of the Saadian dynasty are buried there including Sultan Ahmed el Mansour who was laid to rest in 1603.

 

 
     

Targets
The sugar refinery
Ida Ou Gourd

External links

Ahmed el Mansour
Wiki