Essaouira, also Essaouira, formerly Mogador, is a port city in Morocco on the Atlantic coast 170 km north of Agadir and 170 km west of Marrakech. The city belongs to the small island of Mogador, whose name the city bore before the recognition of Morocco's independence. The name Mogador probably has Portuguese roots. The medina of the city is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.