El Jadida is a coastal town that was once a stronghold of the Portuguese and worth a stop to see the underground cistern.
This vast underground vaulted room was part of the castle built in 1514 by the Portuguese . It was probably used as an armory before being used as a water supply. On a square of 34 m square, it has six aisles whose vaults are based on 25 columns and pillars. The central bay is pierced with a large oculus trough which pours the sunlight that produced the reflection on the water in the tank, a surprising mirror effect imbuing the place with a strange atmosphere.
If visited at the right time of day you can hear the call to prayer at the mosque nearby.
The majestic Portuguese tank at El Jadida, which also was listed on the list of World Heritage of Unesco in 2004, turned up in some sequences of Orson Welle's film Othello. Some scenes of the movie 'The Return of the Black Stallion', produced by Francis Ford Coppola and Arthur Joffé's 1985 film 'Harem' were also filmed here.

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