The Kingdom of Morocco (al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah in Arabic) occupies the northwestern corner of Africa across the Strait of Gibralter from Spain. It has a long coast facing northwest on the Atlantic Ocean and a much shorter coast facing north on the easternmost Mediterranean Sea. During most of the nineteenth century France, Spain, and other European countries maneuvered to gain control of Morocco. In 1912 it was finally divided; although the monarchy remained in place France and Spain assumed formal protectorates over the country. The French protectorate included the northwestern coast from the Agadir area through Mehdia, while Spain had a protectorate over the northern coast and portions of the far south. In 1923 the northwestern city of Tangier was removed from the Spanish sector to become an international zone. Morocco resumed its independence in 1956 but Spain continues to control the northern cities of Ceuta and Melilla and several small islands off the Mediterranean coast. For lighthouse fans the implication of this history is that Morocco's lighthouse heritage is partly Spanish and partly French, with French influence seen in the west and Spanish influence to the north and south. However, the design of lighthouses in all parts of the country shows a strong native Moroccan style. This page includes lighthouses of Morocco's southwest coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean south of the Casablanca area. Included are five of Morocco's twelve administrative regions. There are separate pages for Northwestern Morocco, Northeastern Morocco and the Spanish Coast of Morocco (including Ceuta and Melilla). Included on this page are the lighthouses of Western Sahara. Western Sahara is the former Spanish Sahara, a large, lightly populated desert territory south of Morocco and northwest of Mauritania. When Spain withdrew from its colony in 1976 the territory was occupied by troops from Morocco and Mauretania. The Mauritanians withdrew in 1979 and since that time Morocco has occupied more than half of Western Sahara, including all of the coast except a very short section at the southern end. Wikimedia has a map showing the division of the territory. In general this occupation is not recognized internationally, although in 2020 the Trump administration in the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for Moroccan normalization of relations with Israel. In this listing the lighthouses of the Dakhla, Boujdour and Laâyoune areas are in the disputed territory. Please note that the Lighthouse Directory takes no position and has no comment on any international territorial dispute. Our only task is to describe lighthouses. The lighthouses of Western Sahara are listed under Morocco because Morocco operates them. Arabic and Berber are the official languages in Morocco. Darija (a Berber-influenced dialect of Arabic) and French are common spoken languages. The Arabic word for a lighthouse is mnarh or manara (منارة). Ra's is the word for a cape or headland and jazira is an island. Lighthouses in Morocco are operated by the Etablissements de Signalisation Maritime (ESM) division of the infrastructure ministry (Ministère de l'Équipement et de l'Eau). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes D and E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113. |
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Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab Region Lighthouses
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Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Region Lighthouses
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![]() Tarfaya (Cabo Juby) Light, Tarfaya postcard photo posted by ESM |
Guelmim-Oued Noun Region Lighthouses
Souss-Massa Region Lighthouses
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Marrakesh-Safi Region Lighthouses
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![]() Cap Beddouza Light, Safi photo copyright Arno Siering; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northwestern Morocco | South: Mauritania | West: Canary Islands
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Posted August 18, 2005. Checked and revised May 18, 2024. Lighthouses: 32. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.