Originally known as Santa Cruz de Cap de Guè, Agadir took its actual name in 1541 when Sultan Mohamed ech Cheick conquered it back from the Portuguese. The sole trace left of the old city is the ancient Kasbah on the summit of Cap Ghir hill, which was built in 1540 to siege the Portuguese fort and then used for defence purposes. All that is left is the surrounding walls and the monumental entrance In 1760 the port of Agadir was closed down in favour of that of Essouira. This marked the beginning of a long era of depression. In 1911 Agadir suddenly was known to the world again because of the "Agadir Incident" which ended in the transfer of Congo from France to Germany. In the 1930 's it became an important stop of the "Aeropostale" which sailed across the Atlantic and started coming to life again. Agadir was then almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1960 and was rebuilt 3 kilometres to the South of the original site, where it turned into an international tourist resort. Its port is now very active again as the first fishing port in the country and a fish auction takes place there every afternoon.
