Saïdia

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Place in Oriental, Morocco

Saïdia 35°05′06″N 02°14′21″W / 35.08500°N 2.23917°W / 35.08500; -2.23917
Country	Morocco
Region	Oriental
Population (2010)
• Total	3,871
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (WEST)

Saïdia (Arabic: السعيدية, romanized: Al-sa'idiyya; Berber languages: ⴰⵊⵔⵓⴷ, Ajrud), known as the "Blue Pearl", is a coastal town in northeastern Morocco. It is located in the Berkane Province in the north of Beni Znassen region, lying in the adjacent metropolitan area of Berkane itself, along the Mediterranean Sea to the north and Moroccan-Algerian border to the east. Its 14 km (9 mile) coastline is one of the longest beaches of Morocco and is characterized by its golden sand and Mediterranean climate, making it a popular international tourist destination. It hosts numerous resorts and attractions, including private beach resorts, shopping malls, golf courses, and other sports centers.

Saïdia's marina covers an area of 290,000 square meters (70 acres), with 740 berths and modern marina facilities. Tourists are attracted by its traditional folk music festival every August. It is surrounded by a natural bird preserve of marsh and woodland called Moulouya National Parc. Access to the main beach is through a eucalyptus forest.

Climate

Saïdia climate is semi-arid (Köppen climate classification: BSh). It is mild all year round, highly influenced by maritime winds. In summer, the average maximum and minimum temperatures are 27–30 °C (81–86 °F) and 19–22 °C (66–72 °F), respectively, and, in winter, 17–20 °C (63–68 °F) and 9–12 °C (48–54 °F).^[1] Autumn and winter are the wettest seasons, having more than 80% of total annual rainfall.

History

The nucleus of Saïdia dates from 1883 and was the work of Sultan Hassan I, who built a 15,600-square-meter (3¾ acre) casbah (fortress) on the left bank of the mouth of the river Kiss. Its purpose was to monitor and regulate the movement of people to and from Algeria, which was then under French sovereignty. After Morocco became a French protectorate in 1913, Saïdia proved popular with French settlers and became a resort. After Moroccan independence, Saïdia continued to attract visitors and has become one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.