International trade was at the centre of Essaouira's economic life and the most influential men of the town were the merchants who were the Sultan's traders. Their special relationship to the Sultans gave them particular advantages over other traders, and at certain periods, they maintained a quasi-total monopoly of the import–export trade. The Sultan's merchants (tujjār as-Sultān) had the opportunity to make considerable profits, yet at the same time, they depended on the official recognition and patronage of the palace. The fact that the majority of them were Jews was also significant. As legally inferior members of the only religious minority in Morocco, they could almost never attain positions of political power or have a share in local government outside the confines of the Jewish community. For this reason, as a general rule, they were highly dependent on the Palace and, consequently, their loyalty was usually assured.

As merchants, however, they were able to exert considerable local influence since the prosperity of the town depended on their enterprises. In some ways, these royal merchants were similar to the ‘court Jews’ of central Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In both cases, elite Jews were economic instruments of the rulers. Equipped with foreign languages and international connections, the court Jews were used in diplomatic affairs as well.