HISTORICAL BUILDING, MEDINAHISTORIC BUILDINGART GALLERYART GALLERYspaces, Assilah is renowned as a city of arts. It all started in 1978 when several Moroccan
artists were invited to hold workshops for local children and to paint some walls in the medina
as part of the town’s moussem (saint’s day celebrations). Several Zaïlachi artists and some of
these children have now made a name in the contemporary-art world, among them the late
Abdelilah Bououd, Brahim Jbari, Elina Atencio, Mohamed Lhaloui and several members of the
Mesnani family.
Ramparts & Medina
Offline map Google map Assilah’s largely residential medina is surrounded by the sturdy stonefortifications built by the Portuguese in the 15th century and it is these walls, flanked by palms,
that have become the town’s landmark.
The medina and ramparts have been restored in recent years and the tranquil narrow streets
lined by whitewashed houses are well worth a wander. Although the restoration work has left
the medina much sanitised, the ornate wrought-iron window guards, pale green jalousies
(wooden, trellis-like window shutters) and colourful murals (painted each year during the Assilah
Festival) give it a very photogenic quality. Craftsmen and artists have opened workshops along
the main streets and invite passers-by in to see them work.
Access to the ramparts is limited. The southwestern bastion is the best spot for views over
the ocean and is a popular spot at sunset. It also offers a peek into the nearby Koubba of Sidi
Mansur (which is otherwise closed to non-Muslims) and the Mujaheddin Graveyard .
The southern entrance to the medina, Bab Homar (Ave Hassan II) , is topped by the much-
eroded Portuguese royal coat of arms. There are a few old cannons Offline map Google map just
inside the medina’s seaward wall, but they are cut off from the walkway below and can only be
seen from a distance. The Bab al-Kasaba leads to the Great Mosque (closed to non-Muslims)
and the Centre Hassan II des Rencontres Internationales. The medina is busiest on Thursdays,
Assilah’s main market day.
Palais de Raissouli
Offline map Google map Also known as the Palais de Culture (Palace of Culture) on the seaside ofthe medina, the palace was built in 1909 by Er-Raissouli and still stands as a testament to the
sumptuous life he led at the height of his power. It has been beautifully restored, but is only
open during the Assilah Festival or for temporary exhibitions, although if you can find the
caretaker you may be able to persuade him to let you in. The striking building includes a main
reception room with a glass-fronted terrace overlooking the sea, from where Er-Raissouli
forced convicted murderers to jump to their deaths onto the rocks 30m below.
Centre de Hassan II Rencontres Internationales
Offline map Google map ( 0539 41 70 65; [email protected]; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5pm, to 8pm summer) The main exhibition space in town is just inside the
medina walls. It’s in a beautiful medina house and displays a revolving exhibition of international
painting and sculpture in its gallery, and at times, in the nearby El-Khamra Tower , a renovated
Portuguese fortification on Pl Abdellah Guennoun.