Asilah
Encyclopedia
Asilah or Arzila is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco
, about 31 km from Tangier
. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. Its history dates back to 1500 B.C., when the Phoenicia
ns used it as a base for trade.
The Portuguese
conquered the city in 1471, but John III
later decided to abandon it because of an economic crisis in 1549.
In 1692, the town was taken by the Moroccans under the leadership of Moulay Ismail. Asilah served then as a base for pirates in the 19th and 20th centuries.
From 1912-1956 it was part of Spanish Morocco
. A major plan to restore the town was undertaken in 1978.
It is now a popular seaside resort, with modern holiday apartment complexes on the coast road leading to the town from Tangier
. It hosts annual music and arts festivals, including a murales painting festival: the best paintings remain on the Medina walls for the following years.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, about 31 km from Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. Its history dates back to 1500 B.C., when the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns used it as a base for trade.
The Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
conquered the city in 1471, but John III
John III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
later decided to abandon it because of an economic crisis in 1549.
In 1692, the town was taken by the Moroccans under the leadership of Moulay Ismail. Asilah served then as a base for pirates in the 19th and 20th centuries.
From 1912-1956 it was part of Spanish Morocco
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
. A major plan to restore the town was undertaken in 1978.
It is now a popular seaside resort, with modern holiday apartment complexes on the coast road leading to the town from Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
. It hosts annual music and arts festivals, including a murales painting festival: the best paintings remain on the Medina walls for the following years.
External links
- Tourism Asilah
- Assilah Official Portal
- Entry in Lexicorient beautiful pictures