The Medina, or old town of Agadir was leveled in the earthquake of 1960.

A decade after the quake it was rebuilt, or perhaps reimagined by architect and craftsman Coco Polizzi. His family moved to Rabat, the capital before he was born. He grew up working with his father and brothers as a builder. He moved from Rabat to Agadir in 1970 and started construction work on rebuilding parts of the city. He got the commission to rebuild the Medina, or old city.

I tag it the Sanitary Souk because it reminds me of the new-build souks in Dubai and Doha, all clean, organized and airy. It’s a nice place for beginners to the region to feel like they are someplace exotic but safe. The goods on offer are mostly arts and crafts, not the jumble of fruits and veg along with carpets, birds, silver filigree, sweets and everything else that you find in the Berber market. I would have liked to spend more time here because I am interested in seeing how architects and artists reimagine an old place to rebuild. Much of Europe, think Warsaw or Dresden, has had similar rebuilds but they have had three quarters of a century to age into authenticity. I liked what I saw.

To see the main post on Agadir please click here.

To see the post on the Berber Souk in Agadir please click here.