Lighthouses of Morocco: Western Sahara

Western Sahara is the former Spanish Sahara, a large, lightly populated desert country in the south of Morocco and northwest of Mauritania. When Spain pulled out of its colony in 1976, the territory was occupied by troops from Morocco and Mauretania. The Mauritanians withdrew in 1979, and Morocco has occupied most of Western Sahara (including all of the coast) since that time. Presently, Morocco is administering Western Sahara under a 1991 armistice agreement. A referendum on the future status of the country is supposed to be organized by the United Nations, but the government of the current King Mohammed VI has stated that this referendum will not be held. Instead, the royal government proposes that the territory become an autonomous region within Morocco. In the meantime, the lighthouses of Western Sahara are under the administration of the Moroccan Ministère de l'Équipement and du Transport (MTP). Conditions in the country are quiet and the coast is open to adventurous foreign tourists. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113. General Sources Signalisation maritime List of lights maintained by the Ministère de l'Équipement and du Transport (MTP). Photos of Moroccan Lighthouses A page of photos salvaged from an inactive folder of the MTP web site.

El Cabiño Light, February 2002 Creative Commons photo by Rui Ornelas

Lighthouses
El Cabiño

Date unknown (clearly modern). Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 32 m (105 ft) round cylindrical conical tower with lantern. The tower is white concrete painted with narrow black horizontal bands. 2-story crew quarters building. Rui Ornelas's photo appears above, and Google has a satellite view. Pedro Pedrero has a photo taken in 1972-73; the crew quarters building had not been built at that time. Endangered: the lighthouse is close to the water and part of the surrounding wall has disappeared into the surf. Fortunately there is little danger of severe storms on this desert coast. Located on a prominent but misleading cape ("Faux Cap Bojador") about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Boujdour. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WSA-005; Admiralty D2626; NGA 24288.

* Ras Boujdour (Cabo Bojador) Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 45 m (148 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a large 1- and 2-story keeper's house. The lighthouse is unpainted; although NGA mentions a "black stripe," this is really darker stone placed along the angles of the tower. Rui Ornelas's photo is at right, a more distant view and an older photo are also available, and Google has a satellite view. Cape Bojador, one of the most prominent capes along the northwest African coast, represented the end of the known world for Europeans until the Portuguese navigator Gil Eanes sailed beyond it in 1434. There is a report that the lighthouse is adjacent to a Moroccan Army base, and visitors should ask permission to view it closeup or photograph it. Located near the center of the town of Boujdour. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WSA-003; Admiralty D2628; NGA 24292. * Ras Boujdour West End Date unknown. Inactive, although still listed. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal rubblestone tower, unpainted. The tower carried a red light, flashing once every 5 s at a focal plane of 9 m (30 ft). However, a 2007 photo shows no light, and this lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Another photo shows the partially ruined rear of the tower, and Google has a satellite view. It's quite possible that this tower was built as a memorial of Gil Eanes's voyage, as the photogrpaher suggests. Located on the beach at the point of the cape. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D2628.2; NGA 24296. Punta del Corral Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 71 m (233 ft); two white flashes every 9 s. 11 m (36 ft) round tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Located atop a steep bluff about 65 km (40 mi) south of Boujdour. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-007; Admiralty D2630; NGA 24300. Peña Grande Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 173 m (568 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) round tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Keeper's house, probably in ruins. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Located on heights above a prominent cape about halfway between Boujdour and Dakhla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-006; Admiralty D2631; NGA 24304.

Ras Boujdour (Cabo Bojador) Light, February 2002 Creative Commons photo by Rui Ornelas

** Dahkla (Arciprés Grande, Villa Cisneros) (1)

Date unknown (1920s?). Inactive. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical rubblestone tower attached to one corner of a Spanish fort. A good photo is available. Although the fort may have been built in 1884 as some sources claim, there does not seem to have a lighthouse prior to 1920 at least. An undated aerial photo shows the lighthouse attached to what was then a 2-story structure. Located next to the historic lighthouse.

** Dahkla (Arciprés Grande, Villa Cisneros) (2)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 5 s. 50 m (164 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery.The lighthouse is white concrete painted with narrow black horizontal bands; the lantern and gallery are black. Miguel Jaramillo has a 2008 photo, Lighthouse Explorer has a good photo contributed by Michel Forand, and Google has a good satellite view. Dahkla, called Villa Cisneros under the Spanish, stands near the end of a long sandy peninsula enclosing the estuary of Oued ed-Dahab (Rio de Oro). Located on a headland of the peninsula a short distance northwest of Dakhla. Site open; the tower is apparently open for climbing. ARLHS WSA-001; Admiralty D2972; NGA 24308.

Punta Galera (La Sarga, Punta Durnford)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) square castellated tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the southeastern tip of the Dahkla peninsula, marking the entrance to the estuary of Oued ed-Dahab (Rio de Oro). Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-008; Admiralty D2973; NGA 24316.

Bahía de Angra de Cintra

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); four white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal masonry tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland at the northern entrance to the bay, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Dahkla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-002; Admiralty D2975; NGA 24320.

Cap Barbas

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 40 m (131 ft) round cylindrical tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. The lighthouse is probably very similar to the El Cabiño lighthouse. Located on a bluff at the point of the cape about 225 km (140 mi) south southwest of Dakhla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-004; Admiralty D2975.6; NGA 24332.

* Punta Güera (La Agüera, La Gouira)

Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) square stone tower with gallery, unpainted. Ruins of a Spanish fort surround the the rear of the lighthouse. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Not on the MTP list of active lights, this lighthouse is located on a promontory on the west side of the Cabo Blanco (Cap Blanc) peninsula. The border between Morocco and Mauritania runs down the length of the peninsula, and there is a historic French lighthouse at the tip (see the Mauritania page). Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D2976; NGA 24336.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted August 23, 2005. Checked and revised September 14, 2009. Lighthouses: 11. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.