Sea Castle (Safi)

Sea Castle of Safi
Ksar el Bahr, Dar Bahar, Castelo do Mar
Safi, Morocco
Site information
Type	Castle
Condition	At risk
Location
Coordinates	32°17′50.7″N9°14′39.5″W / 32.297417°N 9.244306°W / 32.297417; -9.244306
Site history
Built	1515-1517
Built by	Portuguese Empire

The Sea Castle of Safi is a 16th century fortification in Safi, Morocco. It was built by the Portuguese Empire beginning in 1515, and it is a heritage monument in the modern period. In the 21st century, the fortress experienced neglect and risk of collapse. ^[1] By 2023, it was closed and in need of repairs. ^[2]

History

In the late 15th century, John II of Portugal acquired several fortifications in northern Morocco, and Manuel I expanded this presence down the Atlantic coast. Safi, an important port in the pepper trade, ^[3] came under Portuguese control in 1488, and it experienced a broader military occupation in 1508 initiated by captain Diogo de Azambuja. ^[4] The sea fortress at Safi was then constructed in 1515-1517 as part of the network of Portuguese fortifications stretching southward from Tangier and Ceuta. ^[5]

Description

The sea fortress in Safi resembles that of an earlier fortress in Tangier. The structure is rectangular and rests directly on a cliff over the Atlantic. It features a mix of rounded and squared towers, with one of the towers being attached to the main structure by an arch. ^[5] It previously contained residential facilities for the Portuguese governor and prisoners. ^[2] In 1929, a travel writer provided the following description: ^[6]

A fine old Portuguese castle, the Dar Bahar or House of the Sea, consisting of a series of towers and battlemented walls of great strength and beauty, rises sheer from the Atlantic and completes the system of fortifications. Its base is a rock, against which the waves are constantly breaking in clouds of spray.

— L. E. Bickerstaffe, M.A., Things Seen in Morocco (1929)

Architecture

• 
  Fortress Cannons
• 
  Safi behind a squared tower
• 
  Rounded towers

See also

• Portuguese colonial architecture

References

1. Bendix, Regina; Eggert, Aditya; Peselmann, Arnika, eds. (2013). Heritage Regimes and the State (2nd ed.). Göttingen University Press. p. 69. ISBN   9783863951221.
2. Peters, Lucas (2023). Moon Morocco: Local Insight, Strategic Itineraries, Desert Excursions. Moon Publications. ISBN   9781640499782.
3. Rogerson, Barnaby (2011). "7. Conquest of Commerce". The Last Crusaders: The Hundred-Year Battle for the Center of the World. ABRAMS, Incorporated. ISBN   9781468302882.
4. Livermore, Harold (1966). A New History of Portugal. Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ISBN   9780521055666.
5. Tracy, James, ed. (2000). City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. p. 363. ISBN   9780521652216.
6. Bickerstaffe, Lovelyn Elaine (1929). Things Seen in Morocco: A Land of Enchantment, of Perpetual Contrasts & of Absorbing Human Interest. Seeley, Service. p. 149. OCLC   847205 – via Google Books.