Smara Tourist Places to Visit in Smara, Moroccan, West Africa, Africa

Smara Tourist Places to Visit in Smara, Moroccan, West Africa, Africa

Smara, also spelled as Semara and Samara is a historic city situated in Western Sahara under Moroccan control. Geographically Smara is located between 26°44′22″ N latitude and 11°40′13″ W longitude, around 210 km southeast of the Western Saharan capital, El-Aaiún and 750 km northeast of the city of Dakhla.

History of Smara:

According to the documented history, Smara was founded in the year 1869. A religious and political leader shaykh Ma al-‘Aynayn, who proclaimed Smara as his holy capital in 1902 and founded an Islamic library as well in the town. After Spain released Smara from its control in 1975, Smara fell under the control of the Polisario Front and later Morocco occupied Smara in the very next year in 1976.

Conenctivity to Smara:

Smara houses an airport, with scheduled flights from Casablanca, Ouarzazate, Zagora and Rabat. The airport is located around 2 km away from the city centre.

Smara has good connectivity by bus many northern Western Saharan and southern Moroccan cities, including Laayoune and Agadir, provided by CTM, Supratours and Satas. The local transportation of Smara is served by minibuses, rental cars and taxis.

Food and Shopping in Smara:

The modern city Smara houses all kinds of tourist favor shops and restaurants that are spread up all around the city. Products like handicraft items, clothes and artworks are relatively cheaper in Smara than other Western Saharan cities. There are also many nice food corners in Smara serving customers with Western and African menus.

Things to do in Smara:

City tours
Shopping
Walking

Places to see in Smara:

Zawiy Maalainin:

Zawiy Maalainin is a ruined stone fortress in Smara. It is one of the prime tourist attractions of Smara. There is also a mosque within the fortress wall.

Mosque in Smara:

Being a Muslim dominated area, Smara houses many magnificent mosques with historic importance. Generally mosques are not allowed for non-Muslim people, so non-Muslim tourists can have the beauty of mosques from outside.

Smara Airport:

Smara Airport is one of the three functioning airports of Western Sahara, situated 2 km away from the city centre. The airport is well constructed and maintained and also receives non-travelers for its pleasant surroundings.

El-Aaiun:

Situated around 210 km northwest of Smara, El-Aaiun is a Western Saharan capital, home many renowned historical attractions, including an old Spanish Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi. Other highlights of the city include multi-use stadium Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf, Hassan I Airport and desert beaches.

List of other places of interest in and around Smara include:

Zaouia Cheikh Cheikhna Maoulainain
Mosquée Cheikh Maoulainin
Tarfaya
Guelta Zemmour
Centre Artisanal
Laayoune Off Road
Dchira
Windfish Pro-Center
Massage du Monde
Moroccan Berm
Dakhla
Bir Lehlou
Laayoune-Plage

Best time to visit Smara:

The tour of Smara can be enjoyed best between the months of June and September.

Hotels in Smara:

Smara houses some fine hotels, but not in large number, so tourists can take the suggestion of visiting city El-Aaiun or Dakhla to find a wide range of hotels with world class facilities. Buses are regular between Smara and El-Aaiun but not between Dakhla and Smara but rental cars would be helpful. In below list, the first 7 hotels are in El-Aaiun (around 210 km from Smara) and the rest of the hotels are in Dakhla (around 750 km from Smara):