Agadir was founded in medieval times as a fishing village. In the 1500s, the Portuguese established a trading post known as Santa Cruz de Cabo de Gue. Coming under control of the Wattasid in the latter part of the 1500s, a fortified Kasbah was built and thereafter Agadir became a prosperous town.
Agadir continues to have a large German expatriate population, which did cause some strife between France and Germany in the early 1900s. Germany went so far as to send a warship to guard its citizens. When war nearly broke out, both sides decided to work out an agreement, which included allowing France to establish a protectorate over Morocco.
On February 29, 1960, a 15-second earthquake brought down the city. The ancient Kasbah was destroyed and an estimated 15,000 people lost their lives. The new city was rebuilt south of the original site, but longer looks like a traditional Moroccan city, partly because of the German architecture that still lingers. Agadir now has wide roads and large buildings, with nearly 700,000 people living in the region.
For tourists wondering how they might get to Agadir, the city has a modern airport with both national and international flights.
Written by: Carole Morris
Provided by: Morocco Tours with Journey Beyond Travel