Asilah - Morocco - North Africa

I spent Christmas 2006 in Asilah and here are a few of the many pictures I took during my week stay. Asilah feels and looks a lot like a Spanish town in Andalucia.

Local children playing

It is a lovely, old, very clean white-washed town on the Atlantic. The town has a very quiet feel, and makes for a good stop. The ramparts and towers of the town give you the impression time has stood still here, and if you walk down the small alleys at lunch time you can't help but wonder at the tranquillity.

The ramparts were built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.
Inside, the attractive medina is painted white and blue, Andalusian style.

The stair well of the house I stayed in

A man and his weelbarrow

I stayed in a beautiful house which retained many of its original features

The house has a wonderful rooftop terrace,
which gave you a fantastic view of the town and the occean

During the International Cultural Festival every August, staged here since 1978, a number of house walls are turned into unique paintings. These paintings will only survive until the next festival.In addition to this, more lasting result, the festival brings musicians and other performers from across the world to little Asilah. Much of the festival is held in the Palais de Raisouli, as well as in the Centre Hassan II, where there is a permanent exhibition of art.

Asilah or Arzila (Arabic: أصيلة، أرزيلة‎) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 50 km from Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. Its history dates back to 1500 B.C., when the Phoenicians used it as a base for trade.

The Portuguese conquered the city during the 15th century, 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. From 1912-1956 it was part of Spanish Morocco. Asilah served as a base for pirates in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A typical Street within the Medina

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.

Roof tops scence within the Medina

Asilah's economy rests on fishing and trading of cereals, cattle, and sheep. Tourism is also an industry of Asilah, but it mainly caters to Moroccan travellers.Asilah is also the home of the now revived cultural festival, where music, painting and sculpture impregnates the city every August.

Atlantic Ocean