Sidi Kaouki

A fishing village and saint's shrine 25 kilometres south of Essaouira, at the point where the surfable coast begins. The beach is enormous — a crescent of hard-packed sand stretching for kilometres in both directions, backed by dunes and argan scrub.

The marabout of Sidi Kaouki sits on the headland above the village. It is a whitewashed domed shrine typical of Morocco's thousands of local saints — places where Sufism meets older traditions of landscape veneration. Fishermen pray here before putting to sea. The shrine is not open to non-Muslims, but the setting — white dome against blue sky against brown cliff — is one of the most photographed on the coast.

The village has been colonised by the surf and yoga economy. Several small hotels and surf camps operate between the village and the beach. The wind is even stronger here than in Essaouira — the alizé is unobstructed. In summer the sand stings. In winter the beach empties and the waves improve.

The name Sidi Kaouki may derive from a Berber root meaning "burned" — a reference to the sun-blasted landscape. Or it may be the name of the saint. As with most Moroccan place names, the etymology is a negotiation between Arabic, Tamazight, and time.