Krikia tower
Sunset over the ocean.
August Dominus — CC0 · Dans — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robert Prazeres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · August Dominus — CC0 · Amal BENTOUMI — CC BY-SA 4.0 · August Dominus — CC0 · Rui Ornelas from Lisboa, Portugal — CC BY 2.0 · Rui Ornelas from Lisboa, Portugal — CC BY 2.0
Asilah's old medina is still wrapped in intact stone walls. The Almohads built the first ones, and the Portuguese rebuilt them after taking the town in 1471, making them better able to resist artillery and shrinking the circuit so it was easier to defend. Most of what stands today therefore dates from the Portuguese period, though parts of the sea walls may be older. The walls have two main gates: Bab Homar in the southern stretch, and Bab al-Qasaba at the eastern end, where the kasbah once stood. Near the kasbah rises a rectangular tower in Portuguese style known as Borj al-Qamra, overlooking an open square, and white crenellated walls run along the sea between the town and the rocks. At the tip of the walls stands the Krikia tower, built by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, which juts into the ocean like a tongue and is the highest point of the old town. It is Asilah's favourite sunset spot, and beside it lies a small cemetery with the shrine of Sidi Ahmed ibn Moussa, the shrine of his sister Lalla Mennana, and graves covered in colourful tiles. Walking around the walls is free, though some sections may close for restoration from time to time. Arrive a little before sunset to find a place on the tower, and mind the high edges above the rocks, especially with children.
Sunset over the ocean.
A Portuguese-style tower.
Gateway to the medina.
Around the old medina, with the tower at its seaward tip, Asilah
From the Krikia tower at the seaward tip of the walls, the highest point of the old town; come a little early, as it gets crowded in summer.
