Asilah
| Asilah أزيلا or أصيلا ⴰⵥⵉⵍⴰ |
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| State : |
 Morocco
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| Region : | Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma | ||||
| Prefecture : | Tangier Asilah | ||||
| Coordinates | 35 ° 28 ′ N , 6 ° 2 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 31,147 (2014) | ||||
| Area : | 34.1 km² | ||||
| Population density : | 913 inhabitants per km² | ||||
| Height : | 10 m | ||||
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Asilah , Assilah or Arzila ( Arabic أصيلة ، أرزيلة, Zentralatlas-Tamazight ⴰⵥⵉⵍⴰ Aẓila ) is a Moroccan coastal city on the Atlantic with about 35,000 inhabitants. It is one of the most important tourist spots in the country.
Location and climate
Asilah is located on the northern Atlantic coast of Morocco approx. 45 km (driving distance) south of Tangier in the province of Tangier-Asilah ; the city can be easily reached via the A1 motorway and the N1 national road. The climate is shaped by the Atlantic; Rain (approx. 675 mm / year) falls almost exclusively in the winter half-year.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | 24,588 | 28,217 | 31,147 |
The city's population consists almost exclusively of members of various Berber tribes from the area. Most of them have immigrated since the independence of Morocco (1956) - because of the harsh working conditions in their home villages, but also for socio-cultural reasons (hope for work, improvement in material living conditions and health care, better opportunities for schooling for children, etc.). However, numerous Europeans and US-Americans have also settled in Asilah. They speak Moroccan Arabic , but also French and English.
economy
Fishing traditionally plays an important role in economic life; the fishing port, which was expanded at the beginning of the 1990s, is located north of Asilah. Since the end of the 20th century, the place with its beautiful and spacious beaches in the north has played an increasingly important role for tourists (Moroccans and Europeans).
history
The only stone circle in Morocco, the stone circle of M'zora , is a relic of the megalithic culture and is located 11 km southeast of Asilah.
In antiquity , the Phoenician, later Moorish city of Zilis (Greek name after Claudius Ptolemy ) was about 15 km north of today's city Asilah . As Colonia Iulia Zulil ( Pliny the Elder and coin finds) it was a Roman city in the province of Mauretania Tingitana, established in AD 42 .
After the conquest by Islamic armies around 700, the place was besieged several times by the Normans . In the 9th and 10th centuries, a fortress (kasbah) was built here , but only written evidence exists. Asilah was the most important port for Fez in the 15th century, as the ports on the Mediterranean Sea were often attacked by naval associations of the Iberian states. The Portuguese conquered the region in 1471 and used the port of Asilah as a base for their exploration and trade trips by sea to India and for further conquest efforts in southern Morocco. In 1549 the city was recaptured by the Saadian Sultan Muhammad el -Sheikh .
The Portuguese occupied the city again from 1577 to 1580. In 1577, the young and dreamy Portuguese King Sebastian landed here with his army. He wanted to revive the idea of the crusade, but was defeated a year later at Ksar-el-Kebir ; he himself was killed. Since he was unmarried and left no heir to the throne, Portugal was subsequently united with the Spanish crown in personal union (1580 to 1640). Philip II gave the city back to the Saadian Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur .
In 1691, the Moroccan ruler Mulai Ismail conquered the coastal region around Asilah. However, Asilah was a pirate base in the 18th and 19th centuries - with the approval of the respective Moroccan rulers - and was therefore shelled by Austrian ships in 1829. A few years later (1836) US warships attacked Morocco in a similar manner; then the piracy was stopped by the Sultan Mulai Abd ar-Rahman .
At the beginning of the 20th century, the tribal leader Ahmed ben Mohammed el-Raisuli settled in the city and made it his headquarters. In 1906 he even had himself proclaimed “Pasha of Asilah” there. Using gunboats, the US forced the Moroccan sultan to give in to all Raisuli's demands in order to secure the release of the alleged US citizen Ion Perdicaris, who had been kidnapped in Tangier. For the release of the Greek Perdicaris, Raisuli demanded an end to the suppression of the Rif, the release of all captured tribesmen, pay him $ 70,000 in gold and recognize him as a pasha. In 1907, through another kidnapping, he enforced that as a "Protected Subject" of Great Britain he was subject to British jurisdiction only. Raisuli was appointed governor of the north-west provinces by Sultan Mulai Abd al-Hafiz . In 1909 the Spaniards appointed him "Pasha of Asilah and Jebala", the western part of the later Spanish protectorate, but General Miguel Fernández Silvestre, the commander of Larache, undermined his authority. From 1912 to 1956, Asilah was part of Spanish Morocco . In January 1925, Raisuli was captured by resistance fighters against colonial rule around their charismatic leader Abd el-Krim and died in custody only a few months later.
Attractions
- The main attraction of Asilah is the well-preserved old town ( Arabic : Medina ) with its southern European-Mediterranean looking houses and streets; it is surrounded by a city wall with defensive towers that date back to the Portuguese occupation (after 1510).
- There is also the Palais Er-Raissouli built in the Moorish style from 1909, which today houses a - often closed - cultural institute.
- There is an old cemetery by the sea, whose whitewashed, partly tiled graves look like small houses at first glance. There are also graves of saints (so-called marabouts ) of Moroccan Sufis ( Islamic mystics ), which are still visited today by the locals.
- Outside the medina is the former Spanish St. Bartholomew's Church from the time of the Protectorate.
Culture
In 1978 an international culture festival ( Moussem Culturel d'Asilah ) was founded in Asilah , which has been held every year in August since then and attracts numerous guests from home and abroad. The program includes concerts, theater and dance events as well as film screenings, poetry readings and art exhibitions. As part of this event, some house facades - mostly by Moroccan artists - are painted with pictures, which can then be seen for a year or two.
The Tchicaya-U-Tam'si-Prize has been awarded every two years since 1989 ; a prize for African poetry named after the Congolese writer Tchicaya U Tam'si . Meanwhile, Asilah is considered by some authors as the capital of African and Arab writers.
Town twinning
Asilah and Sintra in Portugal have been partners since August 2006 .
See also
Older cities on the Atlantic coast of Morocco with a temporary Portuguese or Spanish historical background are: Tangier , Larache , Casablanca , El Jadida , Safi , Essaouira , Agadir and Sidi Ifni ; also Ceuta and Melilla on the Mediterranean coast.
literature
- Arnold Betten: Morocco. Antiquity, Berber Traditions and Islam - History, Art and Culture in the Maghreb. DuMont, Ostfildern 2012, pp. 217ff ISBN 978-3-7701-3935-4
- Ingeborg Lehmann, Rita Henss u. a .: Morocco. Baedeker-Verlag, Ostfildern 2010, pp. 187ff ISBN 978-3-8297-1251-4
Web links
- Asilah - Photos + Text (LookLex, English)
- Asilah - photos and descriptions
- Asilah - photos
- Asilah - Photos and detailed information (English)
- Asilah - photos + detailed information (French)