Essaouira, once called Mogador by the Portuguese, is a city located on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, west of Marrakech. The old town (medina) is protected by ramparts that date back to the 18th century. Adorned with old brass cannons featuring Portuguese inscriptions, they offer an incredible view of the Atlantic Ocean. Essaouira is the city of painters. There is even the "Essaouira school," whose most iconic contemporary artists, Mohamed Tabal, Saïd Ouarzaz, Houssein Miloudi, and Mohamed Zouzaf, were honored by the Institut du Monde Arabe in the winter of 2015. Essaouira is also known for the Gnaoua Festival.