The fortress of Mazagan, located in El Jadida near the port, is the main historical attraction of the city. Start of construction of the fortress is dated 1514, the Authors of this citadel was made by two brothers, Francisco and Diego de Arruda, also known for the creation and other fortifications in Morocco.

After the loss of Agadir in 1541 the castle was strengthened with additional fortifications, the construction of which involved a group of engineers-architects - Ribeira joão from Portugal, Benedetto Ravenna of Italy and Juan Castilla from Spain. Soon the fortress was erected several churches and chapels.

Originally, the structure had three gates: Bullish – on the West side, Sea - to the North-East and the Main gate is on the South side of the shaft, through which the other part by a leaf bridge could pass on the citadel. In the years of French rule, the fortress has undergone some changes – the moat was filled in with earth and made a new entrance to the main street Rua da Carreira.

After a long two and a half centuries of occupation, the Portuguese, according to the peace Treaty with Mohammed Ben Abdullah, were forced to leave the walls of the fortress. Before you leave, they mined the main gate, thereby destroying the Bastion of the Governor and nearly all of the southern shaft, and the city for half a century remained "dead".

Only somewhere in the middle of the NINETEENTH century the Sultan of Mullah Abderrhamane was ordered to restore the destroyed part of the fortifications and to build a mosque to bring the city back to life. It was then that the town was given its modern name of El Jadida.

The current time in the fortress of Mazagan four survived Bastion: the Bastion St. Sebastian, Angel, Saint. Spirit and St. Antoine. From the Bastion of the Governor, which was located near the main entrance to the fortress, in ruins. Now inside the citadel there are living quarters and souvenir shops.