Asilah Morocco :
the beautiful city of Asilah is situated in the north part of morocco (south of tangier), during its history (1500 B.C) asilah was populated first by the phoenicians who used it as trading port, the portuguese era begined in the 15th century and finished in 1692 when the city was liberated and returned to morocco.
asilah is today one of the beautiful seaside resorts in morocco atlantic coast, especially the summer, with so many desert and quiet plages, mediterranean architecture of the houses (painted in white and blue), genteless of people, meuseums and street-artists from around the world.
Transport
by train or bus getting to asilah is not a problem, from tanger, casablanca or marrakech, the main train rails passes through asilah. the train station lay 2km northeast of the city, from there you can get to the city in a bus or taxi, or just by a walk along the beach. the bus station is located not too far from the medina and the buses arrive and leave to the main cities (tanger, meknes, fes, casablanca) approximalty every 45 minutes.
Eat and Drink
Asilah is famous by its Hispano-Moroccan culinary traditions, especially fishes, tortilla and paella with a morocco mint tea.
What To Do
in the old medina, you will have a pleasant time walking and watching murals painted by artists from around the world in the walls, during every august, there is an art festival where artists cover the old medina walls with beautiful arts.
Weather Forecast
{weather asilah, Morocco}
Asilah Morocco, this small trading town, over 3,600 years old, is situated on the northwest tip of Morocco. Until 1978 the town was deteriorating behind the ancient defensive walls that still enclose it. That situation was soon changed by the ideas of one man, Mohammed Benaissa, by his belief in culture as an invaluable resource and his dreams for his hometown. Through the efforts of Benaissa and his colleague, another local resident, Mohammed Melehi.
The annual cultural festival of Asilah was created to fund the rehabilitation of the town, an effort continuing today. The rehabilitation project is heavily intertwined with the creation of the festival and the story of the two men. In 1989 the town won an Aga Khan Award for its rehabilitation efforts. Asilah has been granted a whole new life but raises issues related to the continuing development of the town and its inhabitants.
Asilah is located 42 km southeast of the town of Tangier on the Atlantic coast. The town is completely surrounded by Portuguese defensive walls that were erected in the 15th century. (Images 1 & 2) There are extensive beaches and a natural harbor on the northwest side of the town. Farmlands surround the town and there are no factories in the immediate area., to the north of Asilah beach resorts and to the southeast lie squatter settlements called mixik. This northern Atlantic coastal area falls into the Mediterranean climate zone bringing mild wet winters and dry warm summers. The presence of the Atlantic creates more rainfall than in the other Mediterranean areas.
Asilah's history stretches back to around 1500 BC, since then it has changed hands several times. The significance and morphology of the town is linked to its natural harbor. The Phoenicians called it Silis or Zilis and used the town mainly as a trading post. Being at a favorable location at the crossroads between the East and West, it was later occupied by the Carthaginians, Byzantines, and the Romans. In the 9th century it was occupied by the Arabs and the Normans.
In 1471, Asilah was occupied by the Portuguese who built the town's fortifications. It was voluntarily returned to Morocco in 1550, but was absorbed by the Spanish as they took control of Portugal in the late 16th century. In 1692 the town was recaptured by the Moroccans under the leadership of Moulay Ismail. In the 19th and 20th centuries Asilah was a base for piracy. In 1911 Spain took the northern portion of Morocco as their protectorate which included Asilah. The country finally gained its independence in 1956.
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