Safi, Morocco The Portuguese fortress built to protect the city is still there today. After 1541, the city played a major role in Morocco as one of the safest and biggest seaports in the country. Many ambassadors to the Saadian and Alaouite kings during the 16th–18th centuries came to Morocco via Asfi; its proximity to Marrakech, then capital of Morocco, helped expand the maritime trade in the city. Louis De Chénier, consul of the French court in Morocco in 1767, reported that the city was the only usable seaport at the time. A French Navy captive, Bidé de Maurville, who wrote the
Oriental (Morocco) Oriental (Morocco) Oriental (Berber: Tagmuḍant, ⵜⴰⴳⵎⵓⴹⴰⵏⵜ; Arabic: الشرق, "Ash-Sharq") is one of the twelve regions of Morocco, located in the eastern part of the country. It covers an area of 90,127 km² and has a population of 2,314,346 (2014 census). The capital and the largest city is Oujda, and the second largest city is Nador. The region includes 7 provinces and one prefecture. Mohamed Mhidia became wali (governor) of the region in 2015. A majority of the population of Oriental speak Moroccan Darija Arabic (86.2%) as a first or second language. A large minority speak the Rif-Berber language (38.4%) as